Note: Today’s post is part of the Write 31 Days challenge. You can find the introduction and links to the posts in this series right here.

Yesterday, we focused specifically on honoring our husbands in front of our kids. Our little ones are with us day in and day out, and they’re the ones most impacted by how we honor (or don’t) our spouses.

But it’s also vitally important to honor our husbands in front of others, too. We need to think about the way we treat our husbands in front of girlfriends, other couples, and even our inlaws. Are we speaking highly of him and encouraging others to think highly of him for the purpose of building up the Body of Christ? Or are we picking on him, always bringing up his faults, and muttering about our frustrations with him?

There are plenty of reasons for honoring our spouses in front of others, not the least of which is because God’s Word commands us to (see Proverbs 31:10-12, Titus 2:4, and 1 Peter 3:5-6). That alone should motivate us to love and honor our husbands, but there are other compelling motives as well.

It honors God

Any time we obey God’s Word, we bring honor to Him. He delights in our obedience, and we should delight in obeying His commands! Because Scripture states that wives are to love, honor, and respect their husbands, we should do so out of a desire to see our Heavenly Father honored here on Earth.

It teaches others how to follow suit

Titus 2:3-5 states, “the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things — that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed” (NKJV, emphasis added).

Whether or not you consider yourself to be an “older woman,” there will always be a young wife who doesn’t have as much marital experience as you do. When you honor your husband in front of others, you are setting a beautiful, Godly example for younger wives to follow!

It is a testimony to the unsaved

A few years ago, I sang in a Sweet Adelines chorus with my mother-in-law. We both thoroughly enjoyed doing something fun together. But you wouldn’t believe how many times we heard, “you and your daughter-in-law actually seem to LIKE being with one another!” It seems as though getting along with your inlaws is a rare thing these days.

What I learned from the experience is that no matter where I am, I can always be a testimony to unbelievers. They are watching my speech and actions in everything I do. The same is true of you as well.

What is an unbeliever supposed to think if we’re constantly cutting down our husbands in public? On the flip side, what might intrigue them if they hear us praising our husbands for the good things they do? By honoring our husbands in front of others, we can present a powerful testimony of the work God is doing in our lives.

In some of our previous assignments, we’ve talked about ways to develop respect for our husbands. If you’re struggling with honoring yours - perhaps he has some pretty glaring flaws that aren’t easy to set aside, for example - try to keep these things in mind:

He is created in the image of God
He is your brother in Christ
He is your gift from the Lord

When we remember that someone has been meticulously designed in God’s image, it goes a long way toward helping us think more highly of him. And we have a special bond with other believers. If your husband is saved, he is your true brother in Christ! And Proverbs 18:22 says that the man who finds a wife finds a good thing. We can assume that the same is true of wives who have found husbands.

We all know a wife (or seven) who never has a kind word to say about her husband. Let’s not be that wife ourselves! Instead, let’s choose to honor him in front of others so that we can encourage the Body of Christ, set an example for those who follow us, and become a living testimony to the unsaved.

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