How Respect is Oxygen to a Man

Respect is oxygen.

Respect is oxygen to a man. When respect is a feeling, it’s a noun. When respect is an action, it’s a verb. How we treat and deal with someone (or something) is a verb. In today’s world, most folks think men want sex more than respect. They are wrong. Studies show how important respect is to a man – more important than sex. You can research this on your own. I found so many articles it was hard to choose which was the best. Both Christians, and non-Christians alike, agree that men want respect most.

Oxygen is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas. Pure oxygen is non- flammable. You know what this tells me? When our respect is genuine and non-manipulative, it brings positive results instead of an explosion. Respect is oxygen to a man.

Respect belongs to a leader

A leader needs respect. Not only does he need respect for his position and title, he needs respect as a man. Abraham lied twice about his wife. The first time, he lied in Egypt and Sarah was taken to Pharaoh’s palace. The second time, he lied to Abimilek and told his wife Sarai to lie as well.

Yet, she called him lord. That’s respect. I believe Sarah’s response was one of the reasons Abraham was such a great patriarch of the Jewish nation. He made mistakes – many of them – and could have done better. Yet, God chose him to be the father of His chosen people. I do not think Abraham would have become the man he was without the respect of his wife. I’m not sure what I would have done had I been asked to lie like Sarah. Yet, I know that she responded correctly in respecting Abraham as her husband and her leader.

Respect from a follower

Showing respect is not always easy, especially when we do not highly regard the character of the person. He does not ask us to disobey His word to respect someone. Yet, God calls us to respect the title, the position, of the leader we are following.

Respect gives “permission” to make decisions and run a business his way. Respect is approaching a man with questions for clarification instead of telling him what to do. [I’m not talking about decisions that must be made in a situation where a wife or mother has more knowledge or experience in a field. I’m talking about a spouse telling her husband how he should do things, then refusing support and love if he chooses not to follow her wishes.You know the difference.]

How to give oxygen to a man

Ask questions for clarification instead of demanding your way. Sometimes this can make a man think about his reasons and his choices. He can then change his plans because he realizes a better way on his own instead of being “told” what to do. 

Give affirmation for the many things he does right. Do you have clothes to wear? Food to eat? A warm (or cool) house in each season?

Do you speak with respect when you of him to others?  What do others think about him because of you? Answering that question tells more about you than it does about him.

Do you demand your way or make him pay when he does not acquiesce to your way?  Does he quit telling you what he thinks or feels because it’s not worth the price he has to pay? If you don’t know how he feels about things, consider whether it’s because you have stifled any desire he has to share his feelings and be truthful with you.

Is it okay to disagree?  Yes. Is it okay to disapprove of choices he makes? Yes. The issue, then, is how we disagree and how we show that we disapprove. Part of being a help mete for him is truth. Honesty paves the way for trust. 

Your attitude makes the difference of giving oxygen or withholding it from the man who needs it most from you. Oxygen gives life. Turning it off brings death. 

As wives, we get to choose. In the choosing, we must remember that we cannot choose the consequence of our choice. So choose respect. Choose oxygen and give breath to your spouse.

Photo credit: David Sanchez-Medina Calderon via pixabay.com