7 Ways to Praise Your Husband for 7 Days

According to Gary Chapman’s book, The Five Love Languages, one of the primary love languages is affirmation.  Simply giving the gift of words to affirm your spouse is that huge!  Even if your husband leans more towards another primary means of communicating love, there is not a man on earth who doesn’t love praise.  Oh, who am I kidding?  There is not a person on earth who can’t appreciate honest praise.

Many times, I believe we fail to praise our husbands because we simply forget how awesome they are.  We grow accustomed to their strengths and fail to show them just how much we admire those strengths.  One of the things I well remember about my husband was the first time we talked on the phone.  I remember thinking how much I loved the depth and tone of his voice. Still do! But as I stated a few weeks ago, familiarity in marriage doesn’t always breed contempt- it simply breeds complacency, which can be even more dangerous.

Let’s get creative this week with ways to praise our husbands!  Today I’m presenting:

APPLAUD:  7 Ways to Praise Your Husband for 7 Days

Day 1: A – Appreciate those physical attributes that attracted you to your husband in the beginning.  Maybe it is still his biceps, or that dark hair, or those intriguing eyes…whatever it is, take notice and tell him!

Day 2: P – Praise his character traits that wouldn’t be visible unless he acted on them.  Some ideas of these types of characteristics are his merciful heart or grace-giving or gentle spirit.  Acknowledging the actions you adore that come from your husband’s character will be much appreciated!

Day 3: P – Promote his position as the leader of your home.  From the time my children have been born, we get excited when Daddy arrives home from work.  No matter what time of day, we drop everything we’re doing and greet him at the door with hugs and kisses.

Day 4: L – “Like” your husband. And I don’t mean “like” him on Facebook.  Although that’s a great idea also… 😉  I mean like his interests enough to be able to compliment him about them.  For instance, when my husband goes for a run, upon his return, I simply ask, “How far did you go?”  And he shares his distance and times.  Then I compliment his distance or time.  Simple, purposeful conversation.

Day 5: A – Acknowledge his accomplishments.  Whether ministry or career or personal, celebrate achievements! Add an extra date night, make a special dessert for after dinner, or write a note simply saying how proud you are that he did it- whatever “it” happens to be.

Day 6: U – Understand the need for affirmation.  Be sensitive to a discouraging day at work or a personal disappointment and find a way to encourage his heart, even when you can’t praise an accomplishment.

Day 7: D – Determine to be positive in your conversations.  Often the “sludge” of the day can get piled up and dumped on your husband as soon as you see him at day’s end. Ease into conversation- I’m not saying you have to hide the sludge- because we both know he will smell it sooner or later. 😉  But determining in advance to be optimistic about the Lord’s direction in an area will assist you in praising your husband even through difficult circumstances.

I hope you’ll let us know how you plan to APPLAUD your husband this week! Leave us a comment below!