Recently, I participated in a 31-day challenge to use social media to brag about why I love my husband. As I did this, I realized it’s hard to come up with 31 reasons! (I know that sounds bad, but stick with me!) You see, the ones I started listing such as He puts me second (God is in first) and He is a man of his word and He is faithful were actually too generic. So I started listing more tangible items.
- He is really good at recognizing gossip and cutting it off.
- He sets boundaries for our family and its priorities.
- Before he goes to bed, he checks on the children and prays/declares the benediction over them.
- He refuses to call work appointments “lunch dates” because he only “dates” me.
- He looked really, really good in his flight suit. (Well, he did!)
I realized then that listing 31 reasons came a lot more easily. You know what else I noticed? That, embarrassingly, I hadn’t told Greg, and because he’s not on Twitter, he had NO idea. (I may or may not be so great at attention to certain details.)
As I mulled it over, I considered that sometimes we compliment people not simply because we really are thankful for them, but because we feel we should thank them or because we’re buttering them up so we can get what we want from them. But by committing to the habit of listing why I loved him—whether he knew it or not—the more I looked for why I do.
The more I noticed the little things, the more I appreciated him and found myself less self-centered and more loving toward him.
Still, I probably should have told him, because I’m fairly certain he probably would have appreciated hearing.
I imagine that my marriage isn’t unique. I bet all marriages could use a shot of appreciation. So because the ever-elusive “they say that it takes 21 days to establish a habit," I’m issuing my own challenge to you. Starting today, for 21 days list reasons you love your spouse. If you’re a social media fan, profess your love publicly on Facebook , Twitter, or Instagram and use the hashtag #WhyILoveYou.
