Say it.
Sound too simple? It is, but very few practice it! Some of us are more verbal than others. Did you marry a man who loves to HEAR your appreciation for him? Then speak your appreciation. I don’t know what it is but for some women it’s like pulling teeth to get them to SAY “Thank you Honey! I really appreciate how you….” or “I am so blessed to be married to you because…” Is it because maybe these women were not verbally loved on growing up? Or maybe it’s just not how they receive love so they don’t give it that way? Whatever it is, if your husband lights up when you speak words of gratitude then you need to learn the art of speaking words of gratitude. We need to remember that we are what we practice. If we don’t practice what is uncomfortable, then will we never grow.
Show it.
Does your spouse love a good meal? Does he enjoy when the kitchen is cleaned up to perfection? Does he love when you wear your hair a certain way? When we SHOW our spouse our appreciation through our actions it speaks volumes! So the next time he does something you appreciate (or maybe just for fun!) show him your appreciation through a specific action that he craves!
Praise him in front of the kids.
Our children should be witnessing our appreciation for their daddy. This is another form of communicating that doesn’t come naturally to me. I am more of a server than a communicator. But I have made efforts to grow in this area because I believe it is SUPER important. Too many children are having their ears filled with all the things that daddy does that annoys mommy or all the things that daddy doesn’t do right or all the ways that daddy is letting mommy down. If you are doing this then you are tearing your house down with your words. Here are some things to say instead: “Isn’t daddy wonderful? He takes good care of us and goes to work every day to make sure he is providing for us!” “Isn’t your daddy funny?” “Your daddy sure blesses us with his wisdom.” “Aren’t you glad that out of all the daddies in the world God picked this one to be yours!” “Mommy is so blessed to be married to daddy because he….”
Learn your husband.
One very special way to communicate love and appreciation to those around us is to learn them, to seek to understand them, to truly know them. It says: “You matter to me. What you desire is important to me and I will make every effort to learn how you feel appreciated.” Maybe one or two of the ways listed above really seem like ways that your spouse would feel appreciated. Or maybe 1-3 didn’t seem like ways your spouse would feel appreciated. What way does say “I appreciate you” to YOUR husband? Do you know? Maybe one of the three above does say “I appreciate you” to him but he hasn’t let you know… or maybe, he doesn’t even know it himself! For example, Scott praises me often in front of the kids and I would have had no idea how much that would minister to my heart or makes me feel appreciated unless he did it. It wasn’t an action that I knew I craved until he started to practice it. Experiment. Try these different things out and look to how your husband responds. Pray for the Lord to open your eyes to understand your man better so that you are better able to show him appreciation. Not necessarily because he always deserves it but because how you treat your spouse is a reflection of your relationship with Christ (a quote from my husband’s book) and it is ultimately out of your love for Him that you respect, honor, love and appreciate your husband.