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In my last article, I discussed the importance of being kind to your spouse regardless of how he or she treats you. There are many ways to express kindness, as I’ll be discussing in my next few articles. One way to show kindness is through your words.
Mother Teresa said, “Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.”
I received that nugget of knowledge in a fortune cookie and held onto it because of its value in all of life. That’s true on many fronts, but especially in marriage. The words we speak to our spouses can be short and sweet but they have a lasting effect—especially if your spouse’s love language is words of affirmation.
Your tone is equally important to your words. Kind words delivered in a mean tone come across sarcastically rather than well meaning. I always remember what the minister who married my husband and me said at our wedding:
Never let your voices lose their tones of affection.”
Looking back, I can see lots of times I did let my voice lose its tone of affection. But I can also see a huge difference in situations in my marriage when my voice held that tone of affection for my husband.
I don’t know about you, but I want the echoes of the words I speak to my husband to be positive and long-lasting. Here are some kind words you can express to your spouse.
Thanks for doing ___________.
I like the way you did that.
I appreciate your help with __________.
Please.
Is there anything I can help you with today?
Thank you.
Let me get that for you.
I like it when you ______________.
Thank you for showing me another perspective.
According to Dr. Gary Chapman, there are five major ways that people feel loved. He calls these “love languages.” If you’re not sure what your love language is (or the way you feel the most loved), you can take this test to find out.
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