6 Words That Will Make Your Spouse Smile Today

John F Kennedy said in his Inaugural Address in 1961, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”  That statement ushered a challenge to the American People to not be a people that just expected things out of our country, but to be a people that looked for ways to serve America.

In the same way, I believe that the following 6 words will create a dramatic shift in your marriage and will alleviate most marriages from going into the ditch of selfishness, disappointment, and bitterness on a consistent basis.
Those 6 words are, “How may I serve you today?”
Imagine coming home from work and your spouse greets you with those words.
Wow!
Imagine waking up Saturday morning with an internal list of to-do’s on your checklist and your spouse says, “How may I serve you today?”
Wow!
Imagine sharing a life/vocational/family dream with your spouse and your spouse says, “How may I serve you in accomplishing that dream.”
Wow!
Here are several ways to quickly implement these words in your marriage so your marriage becomes an environment of Serving:
1.You cards
Many years ago, the founder of the Salvation Army was preparing to send his annual Christmas message to his staff around the world.  In those days, communication was by telegraph, and you paid for each word that was sent.  Since money was tight and the times were difficult, William Booth sent a one-word telegram.  The word he sent was: OTHERS.
One way to remind yourself to serve your spouse is to create cards that simply say your spouse’s name.  On the one side of the card, write their name, and then then on the back write the question, “How may I serve you today?” Put that card on the mirror, in their lunch bag, or give it to them when they arrive home or any other place they will see it. This will help you remember to serve them often.
2. Questionnaire
Give your spouse a sheet of paper and ask them to write down all of the ways they need help, support, or service.  Once you get that sheet, don’t put it in the drawer as you will never read it again.  Instead, put the thoughts they share with you in your Google or Outlook calendar.
For example, if they share they really appreciate when you vacuum the car, then put in your calendar a reoccurring appointment to vacuum the car every other week.
3. The year of “How may I serve you?”
In some organizational or church setting, they have a theme for the year.  The theme may be to focus on greater customer retention, more robust customer experience, etc.
What if you declared the rest of the 2015 as the year of How you may serve your spouse in your marriage?
I guarantee that if you decide to do this your partner will experience an incredible blessing from you.  But I can tell you from experience that you will reap the benefits of being more othersfocused–your life will be blessed as well.
What one man can do, another man can do!
Question: What do you think would happen if you had a marriage that was based on serving each other?