One of the most controversial teachings in the Scriptures is the idea of the husband being the head in the marriage; this heirarchy structure has been ridiculed and scorned as being sexist and degrading to women while giving men an excuse for a power trip. With the help of a book I'm reading; I've really started to develop a better idea of what this heirarchy is supposed to look like and how each spouse plays a role in making it work.
The husband needs to be given respect to affirm his manhood; but he can't demand it. He needs to earn his respect, his role in the marriage is a God-given responsibility and he needs to stand up to the challenge and not abuse his role. There are men that want to rule their house like a dictatorship, there are men that want to rule as kings, and there are men that want to rule as the Boss in the home. But the husbands are meant to be like Christ, and to lead like Christ led. Christ led through servanthood, and in return his disciples obeyed Him and His followers respected Him.
The wife has responsibilities as well, her role in the home is equally as important and equally as valuable. She needs to uplift and encourage her husband; for what good is a husband without self-esteem or confidence in his decisions? She also needs to respect her husband and show that respect in tangible ways so that the husband knows he's being respected, men need respect more than they need love.
Both partners have a responsibility to encourage the other, motivate the other in their spiritual walks and keep each other accountable. Neither spouse has a greater or lesser role in the relationship; but they have different roles and different responsibilities.
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What about the husband's responsibility not just to serve his wife but to respect her as well? Is that not equally important?
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