First Step in Learning to Respect

I have always been taught that a good wife respects her husband. That is the number one duty of a wife. I was taught that if you want to be a good help meet for your husband, you respect him. That is the number one need of a man, and the bible gives it as a mandate in Ephesians 5:33b - "and the wife must respect her husband."

However, I have found little in the way of answers as to how to respect my husband. I even ask in my premarriage counseling sessions how to do it and did not get an answer other than that I have to do it. I need to know how.

I am afraid that not knowing is ruining my marriage. Just loving each other and loving God does not seem like enough. I can feel that I am not giving my husband what he needs, so I have decided to research it myself and to put my journey online. I hope that if you are struggling with how to properly love God and your husband you can gain insight and encouragement from my journey. I will be using whatever God brings me to learn... bible studies, books, other websites, etc.

Today, I decided to start with the scriptural mandate and the dictionary.

Scripture: Ephesians 5:33b - "and the wife must respect her husband."

So what does respect mean? According to Microsoft Bookshelf 98, respect means:

1. to feel or show deferential regard for; esteem
2. to avoid violation of or interference with... such as in respecting the speed limit
3. to relate or refer to; concern

Synonyms are: esteem, prize, appreciate

So, I assigned myself the following homework tonight:

1. List one way I can show appreciation for my husband tonight. Then do it.
2. Write out one way that I can make it a point to not violate him or interfere with my husband. How am I stepping on his toes at home? And, how can I stop?