The Minefield Of Marriage - 1 Peter 3:7

 Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered. - 1 Peter 3:7

Let’s take this slowly so there are no explosions. In this day and age, we must parse our title verse carefully. Peter, a married apostle (unlike Paul), was a man who not only shared his life with his wife but also with his mother-in-law. This is a situation that even today is not all that uncommon. So he certainly understood the complexity of sharing his life with his wife. “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up. Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; but how can one be warm alone?” - Ecclesiastes 4:9-11
    Peter’s statement to “dwell with them with understanding,” is, without a doubt, echoed in many marriages today. How often is the complaint that we don’t “understand” one another heard? And for each of us to understand the other requires both time and attention given by the partners to one another. To understand anything (or anyone) we must become students with hearts and minds open to learning about what or whom we want to understand.
     Next, “giving honor to the wife,” is rife with the concepts described by the Greek word, “timē” (tee-may), meaning esteem, dignity, and value as well as honor. A man simply must show his wife the respect that she deserves. Her esteem and dignity do not rely on his acknowledgment. They are inherent in her being, with or without him. It is a wise, respectful, and loving man who recognizes the value of his wife as a compliment to his life! “Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies. The heart of her husband safely trusts her; so he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil all the days of her life.” - Proverbs 31:10-12.
    A “weaker vessel?” Let’s not split hairs here. Man was simply designed by his Maker to be the physically stronger of the two, not necessarily the smarter. And often strength is overcome by sheer ingenuity or necessity. Think, “Mama lion.”
    “Being heirs together of the grace of life.” From the very beginning men and women were designed to share their lives with one another - “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” - Genesis 2:24. And in sharing their lives together, they share the grace that God showers down upon them in this life. Which of us is so blind that we cannot see the blessings and providence God has showered upon each and every one of us, especially in our marriages?
    “That your prayers may not be hindered,” Obviously, God created man and woman to be complimentary to one another in both their flesh and their spiritual lives, lives devoted to glorifying their Creator in heaven.
    Yes, marriage is indeed a delicate field where wrong, thoughtless and careless steps can easily set off an explosion. Let us all seek understanding, honor, and the blessings we share as husbands and wives, in Jesus Christ.