Randy and I have been assigned to speak in church on Sunday. Yikes!
Here's where I need your help. If you are married and you're reading this post, please help me by answering the following question (just click on "comments" and type away). I won't be using any names in my talk and you can make your comments anonymous.
Ok, here's the question:
What acts of service do you do to help strengthen your marriage?
And while you're at it, feel free to answer this question:
What acts of service from your spouse helps strengthen your marriage?
Just for fun, here's another one:
Why do acts of service strengthen marriage?
Hmmmmm.....
Can't wait to read your answers.
4 comments:
Are these considered acts of service???...
The everyday things to keep the house nice, I am doing for my husband. Like dishes, dinner, laundry, etc. Do you actually think I do these things because I enjoy it? Nope, but I do enjoy him, and I enjoy that fact that he tells me he appreciates my efforts.
My husband always does the dishes each evening. He just started doing that one day. In my head he was saying, "I love you, I want to help out around here too, to lighten your load." He also initiates scripture reading and family prayer. I'm grateful he took these responsibilities on his own! I feel secure because of it.
Acts of service = deeds of love. In my head, I don't actually see "acts of service", I see my husband loving and caring about me.
...now if only he could add in doing the bathrooms too
Cooking meals, packing lunch, organizing and maintaining the house. But I think the most important service I can do is to tell him that I appreciate him and speak to him kindly.
For me, I appreciate when he helps around the house, doing dishes, vacuuming, etc. and when he helps with the kids.
I agree with anonymous above that acts of service= deeds of love= husband loving and caring for me. In my head I hear "Here honey, let me help make your job a little easier. You work so hard, let me give you a break!"
I think that's why acts of service strengthen a marriage, because they make you feel loved and appreciated.
The acts of service that I think are most important in a marriage are the little ones that can sometimes go unnoticed. My husband comes home every day for lunch even when some of the other students stay on campus to "study" during their lunch and then stay on campus the rest of the day. He comes home for dinner. He stays from dinner time until after the kids go to bed to help out with everything. Every day. These little acts of service might be little to him but they make my entire day. I can look forward to him being there and count on his help at the end of a long day and that has helped me survive medical school.
I can't think of what I do for him off the top of my head except give him a clean (not necessarily tidy) home to come home to filled with love and little voices that yell "Daddy!" when he walks through the door. After a long day of lectures and studying I think those things mean a lot to him.
I think the little things are vitally important in a marriage. They show your spouse you care, you are thinking about them, you respect them and what they're going through every day and care enough to do something to maybe ease their burden. If too much time goes by without those little acts of service and love, I think that is when the fire in marriages starts to fizzle out.
Good luck on Sunday. I hate speaking, but I love to listen to everyone else! I'm excited to hear from you guys.
I try to keep things clean so that life isn't too chaotic after a long day at work. I keep his clothes clean and smelling good. I give him a few hours on the weekend to go run and get some stress out.
He puts Ammie to bed at night and gives her a bath. He also gets up with her on the weekends so that I can sleep for an extra hour or so.
Service is important in a marriage for the same reason it is important in the gospel. It helps you forget yourself. When we focus on someone elses needs (which as mom's we do that all day) it helps grow closer to them.
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