The number one problem I see in male/female relationships is a lack of respect. We don't respect each other. We don't respect our future spouse. We don't respect his/her future spouse. We don't respect God. We are very self-centered and focused on what WE want without regard as to what's best for the other person. This is a big issue to me. I struggle with this myself.
In male/female relationships, it's very easy to have "selfish" love. What's in it for us? How is this making ME happy? What can I benefit from this relationship? Society has trained us to be this way. But what about RESPECT? How DO we respect each other?
First of all, we have GOT to remember that (assuming this is a relationship between believers) the other person is the son/daughter of the King. With that in mind, knowing He sees every interaction, we should be quite careful how we interact. Also, in the beginning stages of a relationship, chances are you are unsure if this is your future spouse or not. There's always a chance he/she is not your future spouse. If not, would your future spouse be happy with your interaction with this person? Your thoughts toward them? Would their future spouse be happy with how you're treating them, what you're thinking about them? Instead of focusing on what YOU want out of the relationship, focus on, "how can I honor this person? How can I treat them with respect? Am I being respectful to my future spouse and his/her spouse? These are questions that need to remain at the forefront of our minds. If our thoughts are not pure toward them, we are not respecting them. If we want to test boundaries, we are not being respectful.
If you want to truly love, it starts with respect, plain and simple. If you can't respect me, then don't bother. :)
R-E-S-P-E-C-T, find out what it means to me!
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