I was recently asked to join a team of speakers/teachers at a Feast of Unleavened Bread celebration in Pie Town, New Mexico. As I waited on the Lord for His direction, He whispered into my spirit. “Speak on interpersonal relationships.” Consequently, I find myself in the midst of that period of preparation.
Because my bride and I have a 32 year track record of what marriage is supposed to be (I am convinced if every man had a lady like mine, divorce and even most of the conflict in marriage would be non-existent!), and because of our mutual commitment to our Heavenly Father, I believe I can speak to this issue with a certain degree of competence.
Marriage, romance, and familial relationship has long been a passion of mine and the shelves of my library prove that statement. My son and his bride recently gave us a book that added to my arsenal…LOVE AND RESPECT by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs. Although some readers may find Dr. Eggerich’s style redundant and a bit condescending, the premise of the book hits the proverbial nail right on the head. He uses the scriptural passage in Ephesians 5 to prove a major difference in the emotional needs of men and women in their relationships. While women are primarily motivated by love (no surprise here), men are moved to action by the simple concept of respect. Because of the feminization of our culture, respect has been greatly diminished. This is evidenced by our society’s view of law enforcement, the education system, clergy, etc. Fifty years ago, individuals whose careers encompassed these callings were highly respected…today they find themselves treated with a degree of contempt with no explanation of how they got there.
In the posts to come, I will deal with these two primary motivations. Love and respect need to be restored in order to attain the health that YHVH intended for our relationships.
Shalom
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