Can we all stop for a moment and think about encouragement. How can we encourage each other today in our relationships or marriages?

When we first got married I had a hard time verbally expressing encouragement to Conner. Because shoot… Didn’t he know I was proud. I mean I said yes when he asked to put a ring on it so why do I have to say encouraging things to him?

Wrong.

Across the board wrong.

I have slowly learned how to be encouraging. By no means am I perfect but I did want to give you a few ideas for how you can encourage your spouse. I spent a lot of the early days researching and watching how people encouraged each other so that I could mimic that behavior. Call me a parrot if you want but hey, whatever helps you show love is alright by me.

1) Thankfulness. Thanking Conner for doing the dishes doesn’t come naturally. I mean he does them, most times if I ask, but sometimes even when I don’t ask. I need to say thank you to acknowledge the great things he is doing to help maintain the home. Take time to notice one small thing your spouse is doing to be helpful today and genuinely say thank you. Write it on a post it note, say it out loud, put it on a formal card. Whatever you do, make sure your thankfulness is heard!

2) Appearance. I never thought guys cared about how they looked. I love that I get to play real life dress ken doll when I go shopping. I love even more when Conner comes down stairs in a well put together outfit or a freshly shaven beard. The same way we like to be complemented when we have a snazzy outfit on or our is having a good day, so does your man. Say it, don’t ignore the moment to tell him how great he looks or how his muscles show off in that shirt you bought him.

3) Work gratitude. I am incredibly grateful for how hard Conner works to provide for our family. He hustles every day and even finds time to balance work with shutting down at the end of the day to truly focus on time together. Does your spouse know that you are proud of the line of work they are in? Are you proud of how they lead their coworkers or perhaps you know they just pitched a new idea to their boss. Tell them you are proud. Find ways to say it with your words or even write a little post it note and stick it on their computer to find. Send them an email mid day to say you are thinking about their new idea or what have you. Take an interest and express your gratitude for how hard they work.

These are just a few examples of areas to be grateful for your spouse. I would love to hear ways you show your thanks to your spouse. I am always looking for creative ways to express my love and appreciation for Conner so let me know what works for you.