Let each of you regard one another as more important than himself. (Philippians 2:3)

One general guideline of respect is that before you make a commitment that impacts another person’s life, you take take the time to discuss it with that person. It is important to discuss business commitments, trips, house guests, and major financial decisions with one another, because those things impact both of us. We’ve even discovered that it’s important for us to discuss certain things with our children before we implement them. We discuss family vacations, household responsibilities, and changes of schedules or routine.

We’ve also learned that it’s important to solicit and show deference to other people’s opinions. In our home, everyone is entitled to an opinion, regardless of gender or age. We ask one another to share their opinions, and wherever it’s possible we try to defer. For instance, instead of telling our kids where we are going on vacation, we’ll ask them where they would like to go. Instead of handing down a decision about how we’ll spend Christmas, we will each give our ideas and opinions.

Respect in our home also includes giving honour to one another and to one another’s property and privacy. We’ve had many discussions about taking care of other’s borrowed things and filling up the petrol when you use someone else’s vehicle, before returning it to them. We’ve learned that it’s important to honour others’ privacy by knocking before entering a child’s room. If they request solitude, then we work hard to honour that request.

Finally, respect includes honoring one another’s time. Habitually being late indicates disrespect for other’s schedules. We’ve found that it’s important to call if you realize you’re going to arrive later than expected, and we take care to respect one another’s phone messages.

ACTION ASSIGNMENT
In what ways can you and your spouse begin demonstrating respect to one another and to other family members today?

PRAYER: God, make me sensitive to the need for respect in our family. In Jesus’s name, amen.