Hey friend,
I can not believe its May already! Where does the time go? I hope that this month is serving you all well. Recently, I realized that I should show my husband that I love him more by intentionally looking for ways to bring happiness to his life. I know I have a lot of wives and husbands out there that would agree with me. We tend to live everyday life without thinking about our partner’s needs or feelings as much as we think about ours. So in light of this, I came up with a list of ways to be intentional with my husband and wanted to share it with you guys. I hope that this list inspires and motivates you all to do the same with your spouses!
Let’s get into the different ways you can love your spouse intentionally!
Intentional ways to love your spouse
1. Change your mindset
Every day we wake up and think about how we are feeling, what we want to accomplish in the day ahead, etc. To be intentional with loving our spouses, we need first to change the way we think about ourselves and them. If we are so focused on what we want or how we are feeling, then there isn’t much room left for thinking about our spouses.
I encourage you all to put your spouses first to serve them better as a companion. Ask them what they would like to eat for breakfast or lunch instead of telling them what you want. Ask them how they are feeling first and find ways to accommodate them that day based on their mood. For example: if they are feeling overwhelmed by their workload, find ways to ease the load. Usually, my husband takes out the trash and feeds our dogs. So on days that he is feeling overwhelmed, I will do his “chores” for him — this way he sees that I have noticed his feelings and tried to help.
The key is trying to find little ways that will make their lives easier, instead of focusing on how to make your life easier.
2. Find out your spouse’s love language
I mentioned the Five love languages book on my blog before. This is a great book to read to better your marriage. It explains that everyone has their love language, which means that we all receive love differently. For example, you may feel loved when your spouse or any loved one spends quality time with you, or you may feel exceptional and appreciated when you are given little gifts or tokens.
I would suggest all married couples to read this book together and separately (they have the individual his and her books also) so that you can gain an understanding of how to love your spouse better. This book helps you to think about your spouse more intentionally and intensely. I am sure at the end of the day you and your spouse will be communicating love much better!
Ephesians 4:2-3(NIV)
2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
3. Communicate openly and clearly
Communicating openly is something we probably all struggle with from time to time. We find the love of our life, spend so much time with them, so it is logical for them to know exactly what we feel and want. Wrong, we are not mind readers, no matter how well you know your spouse or how well they know you. Therefore, we must strive to communicate precisely what we want and feel to them at all times.
Proper communication in a marriage is key to being happy and understanding with each other. If you communicate better, you will be able to agree more or agree faster. No one’s feelings will be heart because of assumptions, and the stress of figuring the other out will be none existent.
I encourage you to be intentional when you talk to your spouse. Do not keep any feelings hidden from them, and encourage them to do the same.
4. Show your spouse that you appreciate them
Saying “thank you” was a manner my mom and dad taught me well. I say “thank you” for everything, or at least try to! It is a way of showing that you appreciate the person for what they have done for you. No matter how big or small of an act your spouse does, make sure you tell them “thank you”. You can do this in many different ways! Leave little thank you notes around the house for them to find, or hug and kiss them when they did something sweet. Another way you can show appreciation is by telling them “thank you” before they do something. This way they will definitely feel appreciated and probably motivated to do more too.
I believe that this will make your relationship stronger and let your spouse feel confident and well appreciated!
Final thoughts
I hope that these intentional ways to love your spouse will motivate you to look for new ways to show appreciation, love, and affection for your spouse! If you have any other ways that we can all love our spouse better share them in the comments below!
Be sure to check out the five love languages for a more in-depth read on expressing love your spouse’s way!
Until next time,
yasmin rose xoxo
