All vocations are a calling to serve others. The single person is called the Church and community. The Priest is called to serve the Parish. The Religious are called to serve their community. The married person is called to serve their spouse and family.

One of the best ways to serve your wife is to lighten her load.

I’ve made it no secret here that one of my love languages is acts of service. I love surprising Alison with a freshly cleaned apartment or a relaxing evening routine. But I don’t reserve my service to occasional overt gestures, usually it’s a part of my daily life.

How we make our wife’s life easier really comes down to one question. What is it that I can do that will improve her life? Here are a few ideas:

• Take care of her car. There’s something about car maintenance (repairs or cleaning) that makes you feel like a man. Perhaps you could step in and keep track of when her car needs an oil change. When the time comes, knock it out! Make cleaning the cars a part of your week. Integrate it into your calendar.
• Deal with those annoying customer service issues. Nothing brings gratuitous profanities closer to my tongue than dealing with the communications companies. We all have issues with our internet, cell phones, billing, you name it. And we all know the companies that provide these services are hopelessly inept. Though it may be a near occasion for sin, you can take that stress on for her. It’s basically like taking a bullet for her.
• Ask her. We’re not mind readers. And if we are, we’re bad at it. There’s nothing wrong with asking her what you can take off her plate. She’ll probably like the fact that you’re asking the question.

Integration is the key to habit change. Put her in the center of your life and you’ll be set.

Tags: Generosity