A couple of years ago Rick and I saw Dr. Gary Chapman at an annual Marriage Conference that Free Chapel hosts in Gainesville, Georgia.  If you’ve never heard of him, Dr. Chapman is the Author of The 5 Love Languages, the Secret to a Love that Lasts (among several other best-selling books). He also has many years of experience as a Marriage Counselor, Public Speaker, and Senior Associate Pastor at Calvary Baptist in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.   Rick and I believe in the power of investing in our marriage. Let’s face it, marriage isn’t always butterflies and ice cream. Sometimes it’s hard, messy work! But at the end of the day, there is no one I’d rather do the hard work with! That’s why I married the guy! That is why you are marrying your fiancé!

The insight that Dr. Chapman gives us in The 5 Love Languages is simple, easy to follow, and reaps a ton of rewards for your relationship and marriage as a whole (it also works on family members, including your children)!  Basically, he states that there are 5 different ways that people speak, give, understand, and receive emotional love. Each one of us has a preferred Love Language and odds are our spouse’s are completely opposite of our own! When we learn to “speak” our loved one’s Love Language, we are filling up their “Love Tank” with energy that fuels them in our relationship.  Over the next few weeks, I’m going to cover one of each in this series of blog posts. Today, we are going to talk about Words of Affirmation. 

Does your fiancé compliment you often? Do you affirm them often?  For example: “Good job, honey”, “you look amazing today”, “Thank you for all that you do”, or perhaps “I appreciate you”.  For someone who’s Love Language is Words of Affirmation, these little statements reap huge rewards on your relationship!  Dr. Chapman emphasizes the power behind learning to affirm your spouse and compliment them on a regular basis. Somedays life gets in the way however; the dishes are piled up, you sat in traffic for hours after the hardest workday ever, the car has a flat and the bank account doesn’t support the expense, the kids have been fighting all day… I challenge you today, to remember that no matter how mundane your day has been, make a conscious effort to tell your spouse/fiancé/loved ones how much they mean to you! Make a habit of it! If your spouse’s love language is Words of Affirmation, you will see them light up! You will make their day! Their stresses will melt away!

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