A Legacy of Honor: Whatever Happened to Honor? (Part 1 of 4)

by Marilynn Chadwick

My new friend began our conversation quite innocently by asking me to pray for her marriage. We were both young wives adjusting to life in a new city. I didn’t know her very well, but over the next few minutes, I would learn way more than I wanted to know about her personal life. And about her husband. She launched into a litany of all the ways he had disappointed her. She then proceeded to describe in detail how far short he fell in her eyes as a man. Before too many minutes had passed, this poor guy began to fall short in my eyes as well.

Many years have come and gone since that conversation. So why do I still remember it so well? Well, for one thing, I never could quite look at that guy in the same way again. His reputation, at least from my end, had been damaged by his wife’s words. I made a mental note to myself to never, ever talk so casually to someone else about my husband’s shortcomings. And I tried not to be on the receiving end of that kind of toxic spill again.

Now please don’t get me wrong. It’s not that David and I don’t have our own flaws or that we’ve never struggled in our marriage. We’re human too. Marriage is hard work and forces us to come to grips with our sin and selfishness like nothing else. No doubt, there are times in life when it may be appropriate to share your marriage struggles with a good friend or a wise counselor. But it was the disrespectful picture that my friend had painted of her husband that felt so wrong. So dishonoring.

And because this is a series on honor, I’ve been taking a long, hard look at the whole concept of honor and its importance in marriage and in our culture in general. Honor can be defined as the “value or worth we give to someone because of their good quality or character.” Honor conveys dignity, honesty, and integrity. To honor someone is to treat that person with admiration or respect.

Over the next two weeks, let’s dig into this important topic of honor together…

…to be continued tomorrow.

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This series is adapted from the book, 8 Great Ways to Honor Your Husband by Marilynn Chadwick. To download your free PDF copy of this book, please visit our website by clicking here!