5 Proven Tips To Revive A Joyless Marriage

One day not horribly long ago, my husband walked in from work and... I hate to admit it, but I had no joy in seeing him. I didn't want to talk to him. It wasn't that I was mad at him... it was simply an emotional distance between us. It was scary. I didn't want to my relationship with my husband to be solely roommate and parenting partner.During a time of prayer, I asked God, how did I get so emotionally distant from my husband? Where is our relationship headed? How can I fix it?God revealed a few tips to me in the next few days.See also: How To Hear God's VoiceHere's some simple tips to add joy to your marriage. I hope these work for you as well as they worked for me.

1. Pray for your husband

God made it clear that praying for my husband should be a higher priority. When you pray for someone in detail, you can't help but have affection and joy towards them. Plus, bathing your husband in prayer is beneficial as the stresses of his life might be choking out his joy, as well. Pray for your husband, and I know you'll find and make joy in your relationship.I made a printable of 7 Prayers for your husband, and it's available in my Free Printables Library. To access that, check out this page. 

2. Text your husband a sweet message or picture

Who doesn't like receiving a considerate text message in the middle of the workday? It takes only a few seconds, and your husband will love receiving a “Hey, cutie... thinking of you!” or a “I love you and can't wait for you to come home!”For more on this: check out 5 Things Your Husband Needs To Hear Every Day. 

3. Make, bake, or mix up something special for him, just because!

My husband loves Raisin Creme Pie. I would be happy if I never had to make it or eat it, or even see it ever again! I made it for him recently and he knows I'm not a fan, that it was simply an act of love. These intentional gifts of your time are great because your husband knows that you did it as a sacrifice of love. There was a scientific study done recently that people can't help but associate food with emotional closeness.  You can't help but grow closer to people that provide you with food. It's biological. Use that to your advantage in your marriage.  

4. Gratitude even when you might feel like there's not much to be thankful for...

Another science hack- thankfulness is the key to relationship growth. Even when you feel like you can't be grateful for your marriage, it's proven that gratefulness will grow your relationship. And that's something to be thankful for.I've spoken with friends and family who have divorced and had other broken relationships. One key that I heard from them was that they either took their spouse for granted, or they themselves were taken for granted. You should expect your spouse to stay with you (as was probably in their wedding vows) but you shouldn't take their affection for granted. You should work towards a stronger relationship. What's the opposite of taking someone for granted? Showing thankfulness towards your spouse. This might look like:getting in bed and whispering all of the good things that happened today to your spousewriting your husband a note and thanking him for all he doesplay a “thankfulness” game by listing all of the things you are thankful for at dinner, until one of you can't think of anything else to be thankful for. Maybe the “loser” has to get up and do dishes. ;)[bctt tweet="Even when you feel like you can't be grateful for your marriage, it's proven that gratefulness will grow your relationship. And that's something to be thankful for." username="christcentermom"] 

5. Put the phone down

This has been true of me and my husband. Cell phones and social media kill relationships all the time. I honestly believe we haven't seen all of the ramifications (both relational, and physical) that come along with the amazing convenience of having all of the world's knowledge in your pocket. It seems all good things come with negative aspects. Cell phones are no exception. The overuse of cell phones and social media hurts those around you. Choosing to look at your phone instead of your partner DOES hurt and DOES make distance between you. And growing a stronger marital relationship is worth the sacrifice. 

What about you?

I hope you were able to find one or two takeaways to improve your marriage.Let me know what other ideas you have regarding adding joy to your marriage!