10 Ways to LOVE
Your Sandpaper Spou
By Karen Ehman
Let’s face it, sometimes our spouse
just plain gets on our nerves or rubs us
the wrong way. Whether it’s personality
differences or the way we tackle tasks
around the home, it can be a setup for
frustration, anger, and conflict in our
relationships.
Here are ten ways to be intentional in
showing love to your spouse—even on
the days when he is driving you totally
nuts! Take time to try one out today.
1. Time travel. Let your mind wander
back to when you first met—and fell
in love with—your husband. What
qualities did you most love about him?
Take a few minutes to reminisce and
then let your husband know what it
is about him that first attracted you.
Either tell him in person during a quiet
time with no distractions, or hand-write
44 • Solutions
him a letter pointing out the character
qualities you most loved about him—
and still do!
2. Find the flip side. It is a fact that
any strength, carried to an extreme,
can become a weakness. However, the
flip side is also true. Often a weakness
can be tethered back to a strength.
So try to look for the flip side of your
spouse’s annoying quality. Instead
of complaining that he is indecisive,
point out his patience when a decision
needs to be made.
Rather than grumble about his
overcontrolling ways concerning how
the garage is organized, compliment
him about how neat it is. If you look for
the flip side of something that bothers
you, you just may discover something
good.