Mutual Commitment

Mutual Commitment

Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski once said, “Mutual commitment helps overcome the fear of failure—especially when people are part of a team sharing and achieving goals. It also sets the stage for open dialogue and honest conversation.”

Marriage takes a mutual commitment. In his book Love and Respect, Dr. Emerson Eggerichs unpacks the simple yet profound truth that God created men to be respected and women to be loved.

Mutual commitment requires that both parties in a relationship go all in to provide what the other person needs so that the relationship can thrive. When you honor your wife with an unconditional love, you make her feel secure and established. When your wife returns your love with respect, your resolve to love her more and more will only compound.

But who goes first? A lot of times each person in the relationship is waiting for the other to go first. Pride gets in the way and says, “I’m not going to show her unconditional love until she shows me unconditional respect.” If I have seen it once, I have seen it a hundred times!

But you are the spiritual leader of your home. That means you get to go first. You see, talking about being the spiritual leader is fun until you have to lead. But let me tell you, today is an opportunity to establish your wife and make her secure through unconditional love. When we create this type of climate, as Coach K advises, it will open up dialogue and honest conversation.

Ephesians 5:33 states, “Again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.” Do it over and over, because this is what you have been called to do. Your wife will catch on, and you will enjoy the wins that come with your mutual commitment.

Again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

Ephesians 5:33