Hospitality Hints is a monthly feature on our blog with some helpful hints for being hospitable in everyday life. Our hints may involve inviting people over, but not always! Most of the time, they will be about having a posture of hospitality—welcoming others into our lives.
June is time for weddings! And once you’re married, the most important—and perhaps sometimes the most challenging—person to be hospitable toward is your husband. We thought we’d give just a few hints for practicing hospitality to your spouse.
- Make a point to greet your spouse. When he gets home (or you get home), take a moment to hug, kiss, and say hello. It’s a small thing to stop your task or wait before you begin your routine and say hi, but it means a lot.
- Say yes more. When he wants to go see the latest superhero flick or wants pizza for dinner, say yes. Make it a priority to spend time doing things he enjoys doing.
- Overlook an offense. We got this one from Proverbs 19:11, but we think it’s great advice for being hospitable to your spouse.
- Complete intentional acts of kindness. This is a piece of pre-marital counseling advice we’ve used and loved! Little things, like making breakfast or doing dishes or writing a note can make a big difference. Consider writing down a bunch of ideas (perhaps you could work with your husband) and putting them in a jar. Each day draw one idea out and complete it.
- Say thank you. Even if it’s something you expect your husband to do, thank him for doing it.
- Do something that is normally “his” task. Does he always mow the lawn? Give him a week off and mow it yourself. Does he usually take out the trash? Do it for him. Does he always pack the kids’ lunches? Take a turn doing that.
- Ask his opinion. He may say he doesn’t care. He may always tell you to pick anyway. Ask him. He may care, he may not, but asking him demonstrates how much you value his opinion.
- Build him up in front of others. This is huge. People around you need to know you are your husband’s biggest fan.
Those are a few of our ideas for having a posture of hospitality toward your spouse.
Do you have any ideas we left out? How do you show hospitality to your husband? How has your husband shown hospitality to you? Let us know in the comments!