As Thanksgiving quickly approaches husbands, I want to challenge you to complete a special Thanksgiving Challenge.
Here it is:
take a few moments before Thanksgiving this week and list as many ways as you can think of how your wife serves you and your family.
Possibly when you are done, either in a card or letter, give her your list. Regardless if you give it to her or not, it will be very good for you to think through this list.
In our rush to do life together in marriage, often it is easy to look over all the things that your spouse does for you each day and each week. However, Thanksgiving can be a time where you pause long enough to be intentional in your thinking and effort to be grateful. If you are like me, I can say, “Thank you” to my wife on a particular day for something but miss the other hundred things that she does. Possibly I show gratitude just for what is important to me rather than seeing all the things in our life that are important to her as well. Things that she does without fanfare, without a pat on the back, and without complaint. She does these things simply because she loves you, your family, and Christ.
Daily Living
You might consider a few of these categories to get your list started:
- House/Apartment/Living Space
- Individual rooms in the living space (i.e., kitchen, bathrooms, bedroom, dining room, laundry room, living room, family room, children’s rooms, garage, etc.)
- Children or Grandchildren if applicable and all the elements of what she does to serve in these areas (i.e., school, clothes, sports, etc.)
- Pets
- Vehicles
- Meals
- Clothes
- Organization
- Windows, Doors, Surfaces
- Decorations/Painting/Furniture
- Floors
- Work outside the home
- Volunteering outside the home
- Getting ready for trips
Personal Characteristics
- What does she do to encourage you?
- What does she do to demonstrate love to you?
- How does she challenge you to do better or be better?
- What does she do to be a good friend to others?
- How does she serve others?
- How does she serve Christ?
- What about service in the church?
- Are there things that she does that you would be miserable without?
- What brings you pleasure?
- Are there words that she says or looks that she gives that helps you?
- For what is she passionate for which you and others are grateful?
- How is she like Christ?
- What have you overlooked?
Now write some of these things down and share them with her!
Once you get your list, then share them. Be creative in how you share your list. Possibly you need to write a letter, give her a card, or have a long conversation with her. Regardless of the health of your marriage, the difficulties, or the struggles, you can find something from all these categories plus your own for which to be grateful. Trust is – not just something but many things. Even if you are in the midst of struggle, you can do these things to be grateful.
For all of us husbands, just do something so that she know that you have been thinking about her and that this Thanksgiving you are grateful.
Image Credit RODNAE Productions
KevinCarson.com | Wisdom for Life in Christ Together
