50 Things {A Valentine for your Husband (or wife)}

When Rob and I found ourselves and our marriage broken into a million pieces, I couldn’t begin to imagine how we would put it all back together again.  We started seeing our pastor once a week for some counseling. 

On our very first visit, he gave us some homework for the next week.  This challenge was one of the best pieces of advice we received.  He told us to WRITE down 50 things that we love, or are thankful for in our partner, and then pray every day, thanking God for those qualities in our mate.

The purpose was to refocus our attention from the few traits that drove us crazy, and to turn our attention to the 50 traits that made us crazy for one another.  We both completed the assignment.  This was in September.  We were still hurting, a little mad, a little scared, but working it out.

For Christmas, I wanted to do something very special for Rob.  I decided to really think about those 50 things I had written down.  My love for him has grown so much over the last several months, and I’m so thankful for our trials because they have made our marriage better than ever.  I rewrote the 50 things.  I made a collage out of them in photoshop (you can do it in Microsoft Word too), printed it and framed it for a total of $7.00.

When he opened it, his eyes filled with tears, and he told me it was the BEST GIFT EVER!  He immediately hung it over the night stand on his side of the bed. 

Even if you don’t print it or frame it, I would encourage each of you who has a spouse (or special person in their life) to take the time to write down 50 things about them that you love or are thankful for.  Don’t forget to pray and thank the Lord for those traits.  I promise, it will be a gift they will remember forever.