Love, honor, and cherish are such beautiful words, and we readily say them before family, friends, and for people of faith, before God, as we take our marriage vows. Yet, do we really understand the meaning of those words and apply them to our daily lives with our spouses? These are strong words, filled with meaning. If every couple kept these definitions in mind, and actively used them in our relationships, we would all be much happier. Even if we already have happy marriages, there is always room for improvement.
We have all heard the saying that love isn’t always enough, which may be why honor and cherish go hand in hand with love in wedding vows.
Love
Love has many different definitions, and we all love in different ways. However, think about some of these terms, and see how they fit your relationship.
- Adore
- Respect
- Admire
- Show affection
- Show devotion
- Find irresistible
- Unselfishness
- Loyalty
- Care
- Passion
- Tenderness
Honor
Do we really honor each other? To some extent, most couples do, but how much more could we honor our spouses if we really think about what this term means?
- Respect
- Admiration
- Integrity
- Deference
- To treat honorably
- To fulfill terms of an agreement (vows)
Cherish
To cherish someone is to love and honor them as much if not more than you love yourself. It is the most meaningful of the terms, in my opinion. People can love each other, or care for each other, without cherishing one another. If we truly cherish each other, how can we have anything but happy and lasting marriages?
- To keep first in one’s mind
- To treasure another
- To value deeply
- To hold dear
- To prize above all else
- To treat with gentleness and tender care
- To esteem
- To appreciate
- To treat with utmost importance