In the previous article I shared the scripture Ephesians 5:33-Neverthless let each one of you in particular love his own wife as himself and let the wife see that she respects her husband. From that I shared how even if we were unaware of it, women need love from their husbands whereas men need respect from their wives. I also shared what I and a few other women feel how our husbands can show us love, and how my husband and a few men felt their wives can show them respect. I had other questions such as, do men desire respect more than love and women love more than respect? If wives respect their husbands, will they in turn show love to their wives? If we give each other what the other wants, will the marriage be easier?
Do men desire respect more than love and women love more than respect?
According to my husband, one is not more important than the other. He said if I love him, I will respect him. I looked up synonyms of respect and the search returned admire, like and appreciate. So that made me feel that husbands want the approval of their wives. Knowing that helps me to remember to let my husband know that I do appreciate him. As a wife, I agree with my husband in that I want love and respect and to me the two are intertwined. Some synonyms of love are care, affection and fondness. I do want to be cared for and shown affection from my husband.
If wives respect their husbands, will they in turn show love to their wives?
I believe that a husband wants to show his wife he loves her but if he’s not respected at all, may draw back from showing love. Likewise, if a wife feels she is not loved, she may have a hard time respecting her husband. Or a husband or wife may still give what the other wants in hopes of getting what they want in return.
If we give each other what the other wants, will the marriage be easier?
The marriage may run smoother if the emotional needs are met. A couple still has to take care to nourish each other and communicate often. Sometimes needs change and the couple should be ready to deal with those changes.
I learned more about my husband and myself after writing this and part 1 of this article. I know more about what my husband and I need from each other. Hopefully these articles are helping and encouraging not only married couples but those that are dating.
BMWK family, what advice do you have about love and respect in a marriage?