Three Ways to Love Your Spouse During the Holidays

The holidays are busy. We rush around decorating, shopping and spending time with family. The activities and family time can be great things, but oftentimes it takes away from quality time in your marriage. I know that when I get busy, the easiest thing to let slide is my intentional effort to make my husband feel loved. After all, he knows I love him, right?

Although your spouse may be confident that you love them, why not consider committing to these three ways of making them feel more loved during this busy time? They aren’t difficult and they don’t take too much time. Follow these three tips and your marriage will thank you.

Pray for Them

Prayer is powerful. I’ve only recently begun to pray for my husband every morning and I can already see the transformation. Praying for your spouse does many things.

First, it changes YOU. When I pray for our marriage and for my husband specifically, I see my heart transforming. I find more patience, more understanding and more energy and love to serve Him. And guess what? In doing this, my husband begins to transform as well.

Second, it sets your priorities in order. Praying for my husband reminds me daily that he is not mine to change. We all have things we’d like to see change in our spouses. It’s totally natural when you’re so close with someone! But by praying for these things, we are reminded that God is the one in control. God is the one who does the changing. God comes first and we can live by that daily when we offer up our prayers to Him.

Third, it releases the need to control. Control is a hard thing to give up for many of us. We want to make changes and we want to do it now. But God doesn’t call us to micromanage our marriages. He calls us to release them to Him and to allow Him to be the manager. Prayer allows you to voice your concerns, your wishes, your hopes for your spouse and then to let them go into God’s control.

God doesn’t call us to micromanage our marriages. He calls us to release them to Him! Will you take this step with me? Pray for your spouse every day. Be specific and dedicated in these prayers, truly offering your heart to God. And He will transform you and your marriage.

I highly recommend Stormie Omartin’s The Power of a Praying Wife and The Power of a Praying Husband. These books go through specific areas of your marriage and of your spouse’s needs and they have pre-written and in depth prayers for each day.

Speak Their Love Language

When we seek to make another feel loved, we often start with what makes us feel loved. I feel loved the most when he spends quality time with me and when he speaks affirming words. He feels loved the most when I serve him and when I speak affirming words to him.

By discovering how your spouse feels loved, it becomes a lot easier to love them effectively. All languages are important, but there are usually one or two that mean the most to someone. (If you haven’t already, I HIGHLY recommend reading Gary Chapman’s The Five Love Languages).

Surprise Them Before Christmas

We expect surprises and gifts on the holiday, but what about in the weeks leading up to it? Your spouse probably doesn’t expect to be surprised in the busy and long weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Think about what they love most.

Is it a night away with you? A night to themselves for a long, undisturbed bubble bath and relaxation time? Plan a night where you can free up your spouse’s time to do what they love most. This one isn’t easy, but it can be a great way to show that you love your spouse and you care about their time and their desires. Find a sitter for the kids or plan to get them out of the house yourself.

Finding an evening of quiet during these few weeks can be difficult!  So what a great way to show your love to your spouse. I’d love to hear what you do to make your spouse feel loved during this holiday season!