mylovedare

While we all have a tendency to be rude at times, the Love Dare definitely is not about continuing that “tradition.”  Instead, politeness should flavor the words pouring from your mouth.  I know that when I am grouchy (most of the time), it is very hard not to be rude and hurtful, even when it’s mean in jest.

The challenge for the day (a tough one!) is to ask your spouse to name a few things about you that bother them.  The kicker is that you cannot respond.  Not a peep.  Just listen, be thoughtful of the responses you receive, and use them to change how you act toward your spouse.

As I think about today’s challenge in My Love Dare, I realize that I don’t sit and ponder often enough how to best provide for my wife.  Of course we have food, clothing, and shelter, but what about those internal needs that a woman inherently desires?  Am I taking the time to think about how to give her attention, affection, and less attitude?

The dare for today is to contact my wife and just listen to her talk.  Nothing more.  No ulterior motives, no pressing concerns, just listening to her talk about her day.  I will sit back, listen closely, and be try to be thoughtful of how I can best serve my wife as a husband.

The third day of The Love Dare gets a bit tougher.  We are called upon to ignore our own selfish desires for the good of our spouse.  Love is not selfish, and selfishness cannot exist in a thriving marriage built on love.  Instead of always thinking of myself, I should be taking time to devote my thoughts to my wife’s needs and desires.

The dare for the day is to buy something that tells your spouse you are thinking of them.  My wife is not a big flower-lover, but I know that she has been wanting a new cell phone for months, so we are going together to pick out something she wants, and I am going to pay for it happily.

The second day of The Love Dare implores us to display kindness in our marriage. While this may seem like an elementary lesson, so many of us forget quickly how to show kindness to the person we married. Think about it. Do you do more or fewer acts of kindness for the love of your life now that you have been married for a while?

I know that I lost (somewhat) the desire to fight and struggle to win my wife’s heart the moment we were married. Why try when you’ve finally got her, you ask? Well, I can say from experience that a woman wants to be chased. She wants her husband to make her feel like he did when they were dating. Make her feel that way today. Do something kind for your wife (or husband).

The first lesson of The Love Dare is patience.  There are so many of us that have very little patience, and it makes for a very rough relationship with those that we love.  Being irritable when others are not going at “our” pace is a surefire way to upset your partner and create conflict.  Instead of having that sort of attitude, we should strive for patience. 

 My dare for the day is to resolve to say nothing negative to my wife, and if I feel pressured to say something negative, then I should say nothing at all.  When tempers flare, the perfect opportunity to display patience presents itself.

I am writing this blog as a way to keep myself accountable as I follow the guidelines laid out in the book, “The Love Dare” by Alex Kendrick.  “The Love Dare” is the basis for the movie “Fireproof,” starring Kirk Cameron. 

 Basically, the movie “Fireproof” is about a firefighter that is ruining his marriage in various ways.  When they decide to call it quits, his father asks him to take a 40-day cool off period to perform the Love Dare on his wife.  Without giving away anything more, I’ll just say that “Fireproof” is an amazing movie that every married couple should see at least once.

I will soon be starting with my own copy of “The Love Dare” book, because I want my marriage to be as strong as it can possibly be.