How do you honor and respect your husband? This is a question even a godly wife will ask at times in marriage. Today Alisa Nicuad from Flourishing today will share 5 simple ways to restore honor in marriage.
The Importance of Honor in Marriage?
Honor seems to be a lost virtue in our culture, at least honor in marriage.
When we think of honoring someone, our minds typically go to important people. People with titles.
- A President
- Judge
- Maybe even a celebrity
Rarely do we consider our husbands as someone to honor, at least not intentionally.
How do you honor your spouse?
Last year my husband and I sat down and spoke about the felt needs we were looking for from the other person.
I (Alisa Nicuad) was slightly surprised to find honor at the top of his list.
It’s not a word that we regularly hear. Learning how to honor your husband will help your marriage thrive!
Honor in marriage is important. Learning how to honor your husband will help your marriage thrive! Share on XWhat Does Honor Mean in Marriage?
However, in my pursuit to learn what is honor in marriage and how to honor my husband I found an interesting definition.
To reverence; manifest the highest veneration for, in words and actions; to entertain the most exalted thought of; worship; to adore. (Webstersdictionary.com)
As I began dissecting the definition, I uncovered 5 ways to restore honor in marriage – ways to honor your husband.
How Do You Honor Your Spouse in Marriage?
Knowing why we need honor in marriage and what the honor meaning is, isn’t enough though. No, we need practical ways to show honor. As an added blessing, you will learn how to honor God in your marriage!
Did you find this mid-series? Go back and see what you missed on the Hope For Marriage Event Page
1. Honor Your Spouse with Words
We can restore honor in marriage through our words. Honor and Respect in Marriage are easy to show through words.
I’ll never forget when I saw my husband in action at work. He was doing an event with 25 high-level leaders to help them grow in their leadership skills. As I watched him operate in the gifts God has given him, I was in awe. There was an anointing and a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit that was enabling him to perform at this event.
I have to admit, it was very attractive. Afterward, I honored him with my words. I told him how amazing it was to see him in his flow and that God’s hand was surely on him.
I don’t always get to see that side of my husband. However, I can still honor him with my words. There are times when we see God’s hand moving on our husbands and its spectacular. We’ll naturally want to praise them.
Other times God grace is on them to just get through the day–a little less glamorous and harder to appreciate. These are the times we can really honor them with our words.
How can a wife show respect for her husband?
When my husband comes home and he’s had a rough day, I can honor him by speaking life over him. I can communicate appreciation to him and tell him how important he is to our family.
Regardless of whether they ask for it or not, our husbands need to hear us honor them with our words. Words show honor and respect in marriage in a powerful way!
Are you looking for a good “respect your husband Bible verse” to back this up? Read more about respect in marriage here:
- Fix a Lack of Respect in Marriage
- Words of Affirmation Show Respect
- The Role Of Respect in Communication in Marriage
My husband needs to hear me honor him with my words. Words show honor and respect in marriage in a powerful way!
How can you honor your husband with your words to restore honor in marriage?
Related Post: 14 Characteristics of a Godly Wife That Will Save Your Marriage
2. Honor Your Spouse Through Actions
Restore honor through our actions!
There are very few things that irritate my husband more than an empty sock and underwear drawer.
I know it sounds petty. But for him, it’s a big deal. He works late sometimes and to wake up early and have to search for socks and underwear, starts his day with a nagging frustration.
Yet I constantly find myself slacking in this area.
When he first brought it up, I honestly thought he was being ridiculous. But the more he’s mentioned it, I realized that I should be doing this.
He’s not asking for anything unreasonable. By not doing this for him, I’m actually not honoring him.
You see, many times the laundry isn’t completed because I’m putting it low on my priority list. To honor means to assign a value to something.
Have you ever asked ‘What does submitting to your husband mean?’ This is one area you can see it clearly.
So when I don’t have the drawers stocked with these items, in essence, I’m expressing to my husband that his needs are not important to me and that whatever I’m doing instead of his request is more important than him.
Ouch
God has been communicating to me that when I honor my husband, even in these little things, I am honoring Him.
“Therefore the Lord God of Israel declares, ‘I did indeed say that your house and the house of your father should walk before Me forever’; but now the Lord declares, ‘Far be it from Me – for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me will be lightly esteemed.” (1 Samuel 2:30 NIV)
What can you do for your husband to show honor in marriage through action?
Related: Many thanks to The Faithfully Planted Shop for helping to sponsor the Hope for Marriage Online Event!
3. Honor Your Spouse with Your Thoughts
Thoughts show honor!
I have to admit….there are times when my husband can aggravate me and I will submit outwardly, but inside I’m telling him off!
There’s one tiny little issue…. God can still hear my thoughts.
God knows that I’m dishonoring my husband. Although I feel like I’ve hidden away the nasty things I’m saying in my mind, God is very aware that they exist.
The problem with allowing these thoughts to take over is that thoughts eventually affect our actions and words. God calls me to speak words of respect to husband and all people but that is hard to do when my thoughts are not honoring.
So how do we control these destructive thoughts and turn our minds to honoring our husbands?
Cast down. Pray. Speak Truth. (2 Corinthians 10:3-6)
Tell that thought to go away in Jesus’ name. Thank God for your husband, asking Him to bless him and ask that He would show you the correct way to respond in the situation.
Speak the truth about your husband – He is made in the image and likeness of God and has been appointed by God as the head of your household.
“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.” (Romans 13:1 NIV)
So when we’re irritated with them, we’re still expected to honor them because of the position God has given them in our family.
How can you honor your husband in your thoughts to restore honor in marriage?
4. Honor Your Spouse Through Worship
Honoring by Worship…
I have to be honest here…. I thought it was a little weird when I read the word worship.
Until I was reminded of Sarah’s endearment to Abraham.
“like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.” (1 Peter 3:6 NIV)
Lord is an intimate term of surrender. It’s an honoring word.
Now I’m not saying we have to go around calling our husbands Lord. (Although if you did, it would probably shock the pants off him!)
The key here is this: Honor in Marriage begins in the heart.
- A worshipful heart towards our husband means we are honoring our husbands through submission and fear of the Lord.
- We are not giving or withholding honor because of how we are treated or how we feel at the moment.
- It means we are honoring our husbands because of God’s sovereign design to place them as the head of our home.
We are honoring them because we worship God as Lord of all. God instituted marriage so showing honor in marriage worships God.
How can you honor your husband with a worshipful heart?
5. Adoration
Honoring through Adoration…
I’ll never forget the look my boys would give me when I would tell them how handsome, wonderfully created and special they were. Their big eyes would look up at me with a sense of satisfaction and amazement.
They knew I adored them.
This doesn’t change as they get older.
Every man wants to be adored by his wife.
Although they may be burly and hard on the outside, they desperately want the affections of their wives. I’ve always heard that there are two women that have the most impact on a man: His mom and his wife. This statement has definitely been true for my husband.
When I look into his eyes and communicate how handsome and wonderful he is, I get the same look I got from my boys when they were little.
Communicating honor through words of affirmation and adoration shows the emotional side of our husbands just how loved and cherished they really are.
In what way can you show your husband honor through adoration?
Are You Showing Honor in Your Marriage?
How do you honor your husband? If you don’t intentionally honor him, how can you plan to start today?
Honor is important not just for our husbands, but for us as wives.
When we honor our husbands, we are obeying God’s commands (1 Peter 3:1), opening up the doors of heaven for a blessing to reign down.
Try one of these 5 simple ways to restore honor in marriage:
- Words – which show honor and respect in marriage
- Actions – which show honor and submission in marriage
- Thoughts – which help us speak words of respect consistently
- Worship – which honors God as God instituted marriage
- Adoration – which meets his felt need for respect and love.
Can I issue a challenge? This is the Honor your husband 30-day Challenge. Try to add one of these 5 ways to show honor in marriage each week over the next month and see if your marriage doesn’t improve dramatically!
Alisa Nicaud currently lives just north of New Orleans, LA with her husband Philip Nicaud, their five children and their dog, Roux. She owns a boutique coaching practice and is the founder of the blog, Flourishing Today. Through her own tragedies, Alisa is intimately familiar with the struggles of anxiety, fear, insecurity and depression. Alisa’s willingness to be transparent gives her a unique advantage in relating to women from all walks of life and leadership. She freely shares helpful hints and practical encouragement rooted in Biblical truth in her posts and resources. Her passion is to help women grow in faith and walk in purpose.
You can learn more by visiting her blog at https://flourishingtoday.com
If you enjoyed this you would also like these Posts:
- How to Stop Controlling My Husband in a Christian Marriage
- 40-Days to Be Still and Know God More
- How to Fast and Pray in a Way that Pleases God
Our words hold a lot of weight.
They really do.
These are great guidelines for honoring our husbands. I am blessed to be married to a Godly man who treats me with all 5 of your points and I feel like I reciprocate. Thanks for the reminder that I need to focus on these thoughts.
Love that Wendy. I think the thoughts are my biggest struggle. When we have a hard day it’s easy to let my thoughts wander in the negative… which causes all kinds of other problems.
I love how Alisha explained it so well here in this post on the different ways to honor one’s husband
Yes, Diana, Alisha really put it into perspective so well! So encouraged by it.
Respecting my husband has honestly saved our marriage. Thanks for the wonderful blog.
So glad you found that key and that your marriage is in a good place. Praying over you today.