Lavish On Our Spouse

I decided that just picking a word for my year wasn't enough.  I decided that I wanted to start getting specific about who and how and when and why . . .

So for the next few posts that's what I'm going to discuss - probably in long, rambling, non-sensical sentences.

I want to start with ways I can lavish on my spouse.

The first thing I want to do for my husband is lavish him with prayer.  There are a number of ways to pray for our spouses, I like this one "Ten Ways to Pray for Your Husband".  Most importantly, I realize that I will do nothing else right for my husband if I don't start by putting him in God's hands.  Praying for him daily will help soothe the little irritations of life, renew my love for him, and allow me to submit our relationship to the Father on a daily basis.

The next thing I want to do for my husband is lavish him with respect.  It's been said that a man's number one need is respect.  There's a really good article here "What Men Wish Women Knew".  In a culture that devalues the role of the husband as the head of the home, the concept and practice of respect is dwindling.  And it is clearly seen all over!  Many "family friendly" sitcoms today show Dad as a buffoon that the kids make fun of and the wife ignores.  My husband deserves, needs, and relishes in my respect.

The third thing I want to do for my husband is to lavish him with affection.  Yup, you know what I'm talking about.  My husband's love language is physical touch.  He needs it, he wants it, he responds to it.  There are many ways to lavish touch on a man, and while we can say, "It doesn't have to be sexual" . . . give me a break.  Of course it does!  But there are many kinds of sexual touch.  Everyone has to figure out what works for their relationship.

I'm not going to talk anymore about that.  I'm a prude.

Moving on . . . the final thing I want to do for my husband is lavish him with my attention.  When he walks in the room, I will look at him.  When he speaks, I will listen.  I will make time just for him, so that he will see and know that his is the most important earthly relationship to me!  I won't realize on Tuesday afternoon that I have hardly seen or spoken to him since Sunday.  (Note that I'm using real examples from my own life!)  I will seek him out, listen, laugh, enjoy his company. 

I know that lavish is my word for this year, not yours.  But I thought if I shared my feelings about this with you, maybe you would think of some ways to lavish on your spouse, too.  My next post will be about lavishing on our children!