I Love You More.

    "I love you more" is my line/response to my hubby when he tells me he loves me. Instead of saying, "I love you too." I say, "I love you more."

    On Friday morning, as he dropped me off at work, after I said, "I love you more." He responded with, "Probably." I looked at him with confusion. "You don't think I love you more than you love me, right?" I don't remember the rest of the conversation, in part because I was working on getting out of our car and grabbing my lunch bag. It was at this moment though I realized that we were talking about two different things. I was referring to emotion, and he was referring to action.

    I headed to work and started my work day. I texted him a little while later and said, "So you think I am better at showing you love, and I think you are better at showing me love. I'm no marriage expert, but that sounds like a pretty good place to be." No pride, no competition. Just love.

    Yesterday, I headed to the shop to do laundry. It took a few hours because we had a few loads to wash and dry. I headed home at lunch. Just as I was locking the gate, hubby called. He told me he missed me, wondered when I was coming home and that he was warming up soup for our lunch. The underlying message was that he loved me. It warmed my heart. I told him that I loved him too and that after making a quick stop at the dollar store I would be home.

    I then thought to myself how easy it is to love a man whose love language is acts of service, especially when the "acts" I do every day, of cooking, cleaning and other household chores. I love doing these things for our family. Yes, there are times when I am tired and don't want to do them and times when I wish he did more around our home. But there is grace for the days when I am tired, and my thoughts towards him doing more are more of a battle in my head. I want him to do more, but I also want to do it my way, and weirdly, I like housework. I love the satisfying feeling when I sit down at the end of the day and my home is clean. He does have his chores and every time I see him do them it makes my heart soar.

    I told him about my thoughts when I got home. I told him how I thought he was better at showing love because I don't give him nearly as many massages and pimple-popping sessions as I would like. Sorry if the pimple popping grosses you out. I know many people who find it very satisfying to pop pimples and to have their pimples popped. I also hadn't realized how much he loved it when I took care of our home. I know he appreciates it, but I didn't realize or had forgotten that it makes him feel loved. You see, I don't do my household chores with the idea in mind that I am filling up his love tank the way a hug from him fills up mine. I see it as lovingly taking care of my family. As an act of worship to God. This is why it makes it so easy to love on my hubby because I love doing these activities.

    Yes, I know this is a very sappy, cheesy post. Or like I am bragging about my marriage or my ability to love on my hubby. In some ways, I suppose I am.

    But the big picture I'm looking at is enjoying the fruits and blessings of the work we have been putting into our marriage. There is so much negativity in the world today, and satan is doing everything he can to destroy marriages and families. So I figured we needed some encouragement and a reminder of how good our God is and that He is still on The Throne.

I pray this blesses and encourages you today, friend.

God Bless

~Hannah