A couple of weeks back I took Jean's car and put 4 new tires on it, filled it up with gas, and washed it. When I came back and handed her the keys she said with a big smile, "Thank you so much, you must really love me alot". Now follow that up with a quick peck on the check; mission accomplished.
I think most of us could fill up this page with reasons we are thankful for our spouse. And yet after 20-30-40...years of marriage we can begin to take our spouse for granted, even become so complacent that we stop telling them they are important to us.
Jean and I have been married for 47 years and I still like it when she says, "Thank you for... taking care of our finances, making our yard look so good, fixing the faucet, buying me nice things, being such a good papaw... " Because serving and giving is who Jean is, a lot of my sentences starts with "Thank you for...keeping my clothes so nice, lunch, it was amazing, keeping our house so clean. being so frugal.
I am not saying we need to thank our spouse for every little thing. However even the marriage experts now are saying that "expression of spousal gratitude is the most consistent indicator of marital quality".
If you’re not accustomed to heartfelt expressions of gratitude, you might find it uncomfortable at first. But gradually, you will find it very satisfying.
Why it's important to say thank you...
1. Confirms trust and connection
2. Acknowledges your spouses' gifts, efforts, and desires.
3. Pushes us to examine what we are truly thankful for and how to better communicate it to our spouse
4. Tells our spouse that we notice what they are doing for us — rather than taking them for granted.
5. This is especially important when your spouse is experiencing physical or emotional setbacks, when they don't feel like they are contributing. "Thank you" reflects all the good things about your spouse that they can't see about themselves.
Final thought...Isn't it amazing that the same two words that indicates our relationship with God is headed in the right direction are the same two words that indicate our marriage is also. I have found 7 times (# indicating complete) in scripture where Jesus said, "thank you" to our Father.
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