Day 15: During Deployment “Love is Honorable”

Live with your wives in an understanding way . . . and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life. — 1 Peter 3:7

Honor means something when you’re in the military. It’s part of the way we try to treat each other. We demonstrate respect, esteem—we follow orders. We are courteous; we listen with concern; we recognize authority.

A mental image I have, too, is of the way we guard things that we honor. For example, the way we stand guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We guard that Tomb because it means something very special to us—we don’t want anything to happen to it or any harm to come to it because of what it represents. The guards keep watch 24/7/365 at Arlington Cemetery–no matter what. We consider that ground to be set apart—“holy ground.”The purpose of that memorial is appreciated by all who have served America on active duty through the years. The guards who have the sacred responsibility of guarding at the Tomb of the Unknowns are unique, special, set apart. All-in-all it’s a beautiful thing, and we are better people for the way we honor our fallen for their ultimate sacrifice.

What does that have to do with marriage? In much the same way, we should honor our relationship with our spouse. Our marriage should be guarded for the holy blessing that it is. We should never let that guard down because of the tremendous value that we have placed in our commitment to each other. We don’t want any harm to come to our marital union, and we protect it from anyone who might seek to destroy it. We appreciate our spouses and the impact they have on our lives—and how generations to come will value sacrifices made for our relationship.

The Love Dare book calls us to honor our spouses today by doing something special for them so that they will feel respected and of value. Since we’re dealing with deployment in this series, we call on you to honor your marriage by guarding it.

Here  is today’s dare during deployment: Honor your marriage today by guarding your reputation, your tongue, your mind, and your eyes. Do not say anything negative about your spouse today; do not do anything that would harm your reputation as a husband or wife; do not think anything but thoughts of appreciation towards your spouse; and do not look at anything that would belittle the value of your spouse.

But what if you get no respect or honor from your spouse? You may think that all of these words are marvelous, but have nothing to do with the state of your marriage right now. As the authors say in chapter fifteen, “. . . that’s not the issue with love. Love honors even when it’s rejected. Love treats its beloved as special and sacred even when an ungrateful attitude is all you get in return.” (p. 73)

All that said, today’s dare is going to be easier for some than others. Do it anyway. Honor your marriage by guarding it.

Here are Scriptures to encourage you in truth:

Honor one another above yourselves. — Romans 12:10b

Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure . . . . — Hebrews 13:4a

Work cited:

Kendrick, Stephen and Alex, The Love Dare (Nashville: B & H Publishing Group, 2008)

Live with your wives in an understanding way . . . and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life. — 1 Peter 3:7

Honor means something when you’re in the military. It’s part of the way we try to treat each other. We demonstrate respect, esteem—we follow orders. We are courteous; we listen with concern; we recognize authority.

A mental image I have, too, is of the way we guard things that we honor. For example, the way we stand guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We guard that Tomb because it means something very special to us—we don’t want anything to happen to it or any harm to come to it because of what it represents. The guards keep watch 24/7/365 at Arlington Cemetery–no matter what. We consider that ground to be set apart—“holy ground.”The purpose of that memorial is appreciated by all who have served America on active duty through the years. The guards who have the sacred responsibility of guarding at the Tomb of the Unknowns are unique, special, set apart. All-in-all it’s a beautiful thing, and we are better people for the way we honor our fallen for their ultimate sacrifice.

What does that have to do with marriage? In much the same way, we should honor our relationship with our spouse. Our marriage should be guarded for the holy blessing that it is. We should never let that guard down because of the tremendous value that we have placed in our commitment to each other. We don’t want any harm to come to our marital union, and we protect it from anyone who might seek to destroy it. We appreciate our spouses and the impact they have on our lives—and how generations to come will value sacrifices made for our relationship.

The Love Dare book calls us to honor our spouses today by doing something special for them so that they will feel respected and of value. Since we’re dealing with deployment in this series, we call on you to honor your marriage by guarding it.

Here is today’s dare during deployment: Honor your marriage today by guarding your reputation, your tongue, your mind, and your eyes. Do not say anything negative about your spouse today; do not do anything that would harm your reputation as a husband or wife; do not think anything but thoughts of appreciation towards your spouse; and do not look at anything that would belittle the value of your spouse.

But what if you get no respect or honor from your spouse? You may think that all of these words are marvelous, but have nothing to do with the state of your marriage right now. As the authors say in chapter fifteen, “. . . that’s not the issue with love. Love honors even when it’s rejected. Love treats its beloved as special and sacred even when an ungrateful attitude is all you get in return.” (p. 73)

All that said, today’s dare is going to be easier for some than others. Do it anyway. Honor your marriage by guarding it.

Here are Scriptures to encourage you in truth:

Honor one another above yourselves. — Romans 12:10b

Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure . . . . — Hebrews 13:4a

Work cited:

Kendrick, Stephen and Alex, The Love Dare (Nashville: B & H Publishing Group, 2008)