Pastor Tricia's Ramblings

Christian relationships are one of our greatest treasures—but often, they are also the hardest to protect and maintain. My mom used to say, “You take care of what matters most to you.” And she was right. If we treasure our marriages, our families, and our communities, then we must learn to care for them God’s way.

Unity doesn’t come easily. Loving someone deeply and overlooking their faults is hard work. Submitting to one another in love is even harder. Yet Paul makes it clear: obedience to Christ is lived out in how we treat one another. These principles start at home.

Marriage: Love and Honor, Not Power and Control

Ephesians 5 has been twisted, misused, and even weaponized, especially the word submission. But let’s be clear: submission is not a license for men to rule over women. Verse 21 tells us to “submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” Submission is not about control—it’s about respect, cooperation, and sacrificial love.

Husbands are commanded to love their wives “as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her.” That is not domination—that is service, sacrifice, and even death for her good. To the husband who thinks leadership means control: look at Jesus. Did He rule over His church with an iron fist, or did He wash His disciples’ feet?

Marriage is about two becoming one. When you wound your spouse, you wound yourself. When you honor your spouse, you honor Christ.

Parents and Children: Honor That Never Expires

Paul goes further—into the relationship between parents and children. Children are called to obey, yes, but parents are called not to provoke or exasperate them, but to raise them in the Lord.

And here’s the truth we often forget: you never stop being your parent’s child. Marriage, adulthood, even having children of your own doesn’t erase the command to honor your father and mother. Honoring them leads to life and blessing (Ephesians 6:2–3). I still honor my parents, even though they’ve been gone for years—because honoring doesn’t stop at the grave. It’s about how you carry their memory, how you speak of them, and how you reflect what they poured into your life.

But look around today: honor is disappearing. Children don’t honor parents. Employees don’t honor employers. Many believers don’t honor the spiritual leaders God has placed in their lives. Everyone wants authority, but few want to serve.

Work Relationships: Serving as Unto the Lord

Even our work relationships are meant to reflect Christ. When you accept employment, you voluntarily place yourself under another’s authority. Paul says, “Obey your earthly masters… as you would obey Christ” (Ephesians 6:5). You are honoring God when you honor your boss—even when it’s hard, even when it doesn’t make sense—unless they demand something contrary to God’s Word.

Honor is not about whether the other person “deserves it.” It’s about whether Christ is Lord in your life.

A Call to Bold Living

The truth is this: honoring others is not optional for Christians. It is the outworking of a transformed life in Christ. The gospel is not about comfort—it’s about change. It’s about laying down pride, selfishness, and the need for control, and instead living a life marked by humility, sacrifice, and honor.

So, let me ask you—how are you showing honor today? In your marriage? In your family? In your church? In your workplace?

Because when we honor others, we honor Christ. And when we dishonor others, we dishonor Him.