Unconditional Respect, the Unsung Hero of a Great Marriage

When we see what God sees, any concept of “me versus you” evaporates. We can then look at other people and discover that everyone has needs, everyone makes mistakes, and most importantly, everyone is a valuable child of God.

It’s not easy to escape our narrow view and open up to the bigger picture, but this is a lifelong practice, and we come across it most often in marriage. At times when we feel we’ve come to the end of our rope, those moments of feeling justified in being rude or mean because the other person “deserved” it or exercising the power of bitterness are a red flag that we are removing ourselves from God’s point of view. To bring the relationship forward, we need to recognize that there is a difference between being angry and being disrespectful. There is a way to approach our partner with maturity and consideration, while still expressing our feelings for what they are. We can’t practice unconditional love when we don’t also practice unconditional respect.

Unconditional respect allows us to be empowered to win over others’ hearts, and is the place from which love can blossom. We need to find a balance between respecting our partner and becoming a doormat, and that happens when we practice confronting issues in a way that honors each other’s potential to change. Here are some healthy habits we can keep in mind to keep the wheels of respect turning in our relationships.