What is it you need most of all from your spouse? Does he or she know? When was the last time you talked about it?
Last fall I ran a month long survey asking the question of husbands and wives, "What is the one thing you need most from your spouse?" I've finally compiled and analyzed the results and am presenting them in a special Journey to Surrender report entitle What Husbands and Wives Need Most.
Starting today, new subscribers will be able to download this report for free as a thank you for subscribing. If you are already a subscriber, you can get your free copy of the report simply by taking the follow up marital needs survey at this link. At the bottom of the survey page, sign up to receive the poll results by email and then click the box that says "Also send me a copy of the previous report" on the sign up page.
The ancient Greek maxim, "know thyself," rings true in marriage.
It is true that the Bridal Paradigm, the understanding that your marriage is to be a living reflection of the relationship between Christ and the church, is a paradigm of selfless love. I encourage couples all the time to focus more on meeting the needs of their spouse than on getting their own needs met. It takes determination to fight off our natural tendencies to be self-focused and self-protective, but I firmly believe that selflessness is one of the most important keys to an enduring, intimate and passionate marriage.
At the same time, it is also true that it is very important to understand your own needs when it comes to your marriage relationship. You need to understand and be able to clearly articulate the things that are most important to you.
Spend some time thinking about this question: What is it that you need most from your husband or wife?
It shouldn't be a long list; maybe three things tops. They should be more than mere wants and wishes. These are the essential needs that if unmet for a protracted period of time could put tremendous strain on your marriage.
Although I certainly do encourage selflessness in marriage, I also think that communicating your needs to your spouse is very important. Am I giving you a mixed message? Not really.
First of all, you may be under the illusion that if your spouse really loves you, they should already know what is important to you. They may not know your needs, and even they do, because the needs of husbands and wives tend to be very different, your spouse may have no clue what meeting those needs should look like. It's easy for us to give love in the ways that mean love to us; but not so easy to give love in the ways that mean love when those ways are completely foreign to us.
The poll I did last fall showed that the needs of husbands and wives were typically quite different, though there certainly was some overlap. I also found that, on average, husbands did better and meeting the needs of wives that they themselves typically rank as most important. Likewise, wives typically did better at meeting needs that are more commonly ranked as important by wives.
Bottom line: don't expect your spouse to know automatically your needs!
The way you communicate your needs is also important. Do it in a way that honors and respects your spouse. Avoid saying things like, "You never..." or "You always..." or "Why can't you just..." Instead try something like this, "I know you love me and that you want to love me well. In order to help you do that, I want to tell you the things that matter most to me." Then go on to explain, in a non-demanding way, what things are most important. Don't dwell on how your husband or wife has missed the boat in the past, even if they have. Don't focus on past mistakes, unless your spouse asks. Instead, be forward looking.
One really important question should be included in the discussion of your needs. "What does that look like?"
Because the needs of men and women are often different, you may need to paint a clear picture for your spouse.
Even if a wife tells her husband, "Romantic time together is really important to me in order for me to feel loved." If her husband isn't romantically inclined like she is, he may have no clue what he is supposed do with that information. So to help him out, she might say "And here is what that might look like. If we could have a couple of dates together every month, maybe dinner out followed by a walk in the park, where we can really get a chance to talk and connect, that would be great." If her love language is more gifts than quality time, she might point him toward the occasional gift of flowers or other tokens of love that she appreciates.
Similarly, if a husband tells his wife he wants a deeper sexual connection with her as one of his most important needs, his wife might not really know what that means. So he should be specific in order to make it clear to her. "I would love it if we could make love two or three times a week. And it would be great if once a month or so we could try something new, just to keep things fresh and interesting. We could take turns coming up with ideas. No pressure, just for fun."
Here's the thing. If you tell yourself it doesn't count if you have to tell your husband or wife how to love you, that's a completely self-defeating attitude. When your spouse responds by doing what you've asked, don't dismiss it. Instead of saying, "You're only doing that because I asked you to," say "Thank you so much. It means so much to me when you express your love for me that way." Choose to believe that what they want is to love you well by doing the things that you say are most important.
It may take your spouse a little while before they feel comfortable going "off-script," especially if your needs aren't on their own love-needs radar. By giving encouraging feedback (instead of criticism) they are much more likely to continue to move forward in creatively meeting your needs.
Another way to encourage your spouse to keep meeting your needs is to be diligent and proactive in meeting their needs too. This creates a positive cycle in your marriage that strengthens love and builds intimacy. More on that next time.
Needs are not static. Seasons change and so can the needs we feel are most important. That's why it is a good idea to keep the dialog open and ongoing.
Be watchful. When it seems like the things you've been doing don't have the same impact or don't seem as valued, ask questions like, "I know I've always done this for you, but you don't seem to be enjoying it as much as you used to. Has something changed?"
If you sense your own needs changing don't expect your spouse to pick up on it. Subtle hints may not be enough. It may be time to speak up, again in a respectful and non-demanding way, with lots of appreciation for the things your spouse has been doing.
If you haven't done so recently, I would encourage you to talk with each other about your top needs. As a great discussion aid, I suggest you download the marital needs report I mentioned at the top of this post. Again, you can get it by subscribing to my posts or by taking the second round of the poll. [links] Point to the one or two items on the results that are most important to you. Talk about what meeting that need would look like.
How do you and your spouse approach identifying and communicating your key needs? Are you sure your spouse knows what your top one or two needs are? Do you talk about it specifically? Do you provide helpful descriptions of what meeting that need would look like? Share your story in a comment!
Another great article Scott. It is very true about "knowing yourself." But I've found in a lot of cases I've found that even more stretching of self is required. After you know yourself and have shared it; what if it's not heard? What if it's not believed by your spouse? What if they feel it's just too much work -- or, they just don't get it.
I hear from women over and over AND over again. They've done the talk ... shared their hearts. Only to be left lying open on the discussion table. I can only believe that its a problem that is very real; perhaps not for all, but for lots. This is where the stretching comes in ... in the face of unmet needs/wants - how does your heart respond.
Robyn - you are so right. Knowing and communicating your needs is only half the equation. I find that many don't know or don't /won't communicate them. Usually they expect their partner to just know or because communication isn't functional.
I plan a few follow up posts, one of which will address the scenario you describe. Nobeasy answers for sure.
Thanks as always for your thoughtful comment.
Yes, I think that happens a lot too - "just knowing."
A question. Once you made you needs known, then what? By who's standards are the needs "met"? I have made known to my wife several times over the past few months my need for her to respect me. In her mind she is "respectful enough", when, in my mind, her "respect" is anything but! She has no desire to meet my need because in her mind it is already met! Now I am left at my wits end because she is, in fact, very disrespectful and it is slowly becoming a very heavy burden. I do not believe it is a matter of me changing my need because I don't think I am asking for anything excessive, just some basic respect.