exercise in communication

Welcome to Day 3 of Keep It Simple, Sister! Today is a chance to share ideas on keeping things simple in marriage.

My husband and I have only been married for four years, but I do have just a little bit to share on the subject!

Justin and I attended a marriage conference at our church a few months ago. It was a good conference, but there was one thing in particular that I took away that I don't think I will ever forget.

The couple who led the conference shared a great exercise to help foster communication within marriage. And isn't that one of the greatest areas where breakdown can easily occur in relationships?

We were challenged to take time once a month to spend time with our spouse discussing three little questions/statements to help keep communication alive within our marriages. Justin and I did this exercise the night of the conference and I think it's about time we do it again. We were encouraged to have a nice date night and discuss these statements, so I think it's about time for a nice date!

Here are the three statements we were encouraged to use and in this order:

1. Do you remember when...?
2. What really bugs me most about you...
3. What I love most about you...

So, if I were doing this exercise with Justin, I might say the following:

1. Do you remember when you needed a plunger in Mexico and you had to draw a picture of it for the hotel clerk in order to get one? (Good example of a funny story to get the conversation going!)

2. What really bugs me most about you is how extremely good looking you are. (I decided not to call him out on the internet!)

3. What I love most about you is watching you as a Dad.

Hopefully you can see how this simple exercise in communication can really help to spur good and hopefully beneficial conversation between you and your spouse.  This truly is an exercise I hope to see us repeat again and again in our marriage.

Sometimes it's fun just to talk about numbers 1 and 3, but number 2 can't be neglected.  This is where growth in marriage can really occur, if couples are willing to listen.

What ideas do you have for keeping things simple in your marriage?

Feel free to link your post below or leave a comment!