7 Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.
I can’t say that I completely understand this verse. How can my treatment of my spouse hinder my prayers? The first thing that pops into my mind is this: if I can’t treat my wife with respect, then how can I treat anyone else with respect. And if I can’t treat others with respect, how can I possibly claim that I am yielding to the God whose middle name is respect? Well, His middle name really isn’t respect, but you get the point. The Lord respects us enough to give us a choice. He doesn’t force Himself on us, although He could and He has every right to, being our creator. As I talk with couples, husbands so often miss the point of this verse. They are too harsh with their wives. They use cutting words in a fight. They most often do this because they feel pushed into a corner, and they need their wife to back off and give them some space to cool down. What a terrible way to ask for space. I am learning that if I am considerate, listen to her side of things, then even if I make a decision that is different than the one she would make, she is OK with my decision. I must consider her. I must respect her enough to listen. I need to also protect her. Most wives want their husband’s protection when danger arises. They don’t want to face the difficulties of life alone. They want to feel safe and secure. When we are not considering them in our decisions, but only thinking about ourselves as husbands, then we are disrespecting them. We are devaluing them as people, and we are robbing them of their rightful place of respect that comes with being a daughter of God.
The Arnold Journey 