Question

Which should come first, love or respect?

My Response

I roped in my father to answer some Ask Joy questions recently—now we’ve got a nice little back stock that I’ll be unleashing for you in the coming months.

What are dads for, if not to do our jobs for us? Am I right?

As we talk about in the video, Ephesians 5:33 shows that love and respect are both equal—a husband must love his wife, and a wife must respect her husband.

When both do their parts, the relationship works.

Now, it’s important not to let the sequence of that verse cause controversy or dissuade you—the text has nothing to do with prioritization. Paul is trying to make a point—one is not more important than the other.

So in conflict, who moves first?

The short answer is: The one who sees themselves as more mature.

The long answer is: Watch the video.

(Can’t see the video? Click HERE.)

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Questions

Do you agree that love and respect are equal parts, or do you believe one is higher than the other? Why or why not?

How can we be the ones to maturely move first in conflict?