I had the wonderful privilege and blessing of spending 4 days last week in Nashville for the American Association of Christian Counseling (AACC) World Conference. One of the workshops I attended was led by Dr. Greg Smalley and it focused on enhancing your relationships through the everyday interactions you already have. I’d like to share those principles, so this material is based on his teaching.
We’re all so busy and it’s hard to find the time or energy to really give our marriages our best. Without trying to squeeze more into an already full day, we can make the most of the time that we already do have together.
Morning
How do you leave in the morning? This will set the tone for the morning and possibly the entire day.
- Do you compliment one another? Don’t let the first compliment your spouse receives be from another man or woman and not from you!
- Do you give your spouse encouragement?
- Do you show affection? Do you kiss one another as you part, or just say goodbye? If you do kiss, is it a “real kiss” like you mean it or is it a brush on the lips, a peck on the cheek, or even an air-kiss?
During the day
Do you connect and communicate with one another throughout the day? This is a great way to show that you’re thinking about your spouse. It says, “You matter!” and “We are on my mind”.
Arriving back home
What kind of greeting do you give when your spouse comes home and walks through the door? Do you barely look up and say hello or do you stop what you’re doing and greet them? We stop everything we’re doing to welcome a guest—- shouldn’t we do the same for our spouse, who is our best friend? Your greeting will set the tone for the evening.
Bedtime
What feeling does your spouse hold all night as he or she drifts off to sleep? Have you showngratitude and said thank you for something specific that you appreciated your spouse doing that day? What about prayer? What a powerful impact it would have if prayer were the last thing your spouse heard you say.
Take advantage of these important moments each day!
Are there any other everyday moment you could maximize?
All of these moments could apply to your children as well—not just your spouse!
