love dare day 10

Love Dare

Day 10

Love is unconditional

..."God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners,

Christ died for us..."- Romans 5:8

If someone were to ask you, "Why do you love your...husband...what would you say?

..if, after a course of years they stopped being one of those things,

would you still love them?

...The only way love can last a lifetime is if it's unconditional. The truth is this:

love is not determined by the one being loved, but tather by the one choosing to love.

The Bible refers to this kind of love by using the greek word agape...

...if a man says to his wife, "I have fallen out of love with you", he is actually saying, "I never loved you unconditionally in the first place." His love was based on feelings or circumstances rather than commitment...

...the Scriptures say that "neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to seperate us from the love of God..."

today's dare

do something uot of the ordinary today for your spouse--something that proves (to you and them) that your love is based on your choice and nothing else. Wash the car, clean the kitchen, buy his favorite dessert, fold the laundry...etc. Demonstrate love to them for the sheer joy of being thier partner in marriage.

has your love in the past been based on your spouse's attributes and behavior, or on your commitment? How can you continue to show love when it's not returned in a way that you hoped for?

my dear sweet boo,

loving you is so easy.

I love you.

love dare day 9

Love Dare

Day 9

Love makes good impressions

"...greet one another with a kiss of love..."-1 Peter 5:14

...you can tell a lot about the state of a couple's relationship from the way they greet one another. You can see it in their expression, and countenance, as well as how they speak to each other...

...it raises an interesting question. How do you greet your friends, coworkers, and neighbors? How about acquaintances and those you meet in public?...

Remember, love is a choice. So choose to change your greeting. Choose to love.

TODAY'S DARE

Think of a specific way you'd like to greet your spouse today. Do it with a smile and with enthusiasm. Then, determine to change your greeting to reflect your love for them.

When and where did you choose to do your special greeting? How will you change your greeting from this point on?

my dear sweet Boo!

we spend so little time together that when I see you it's still a thrill. I sing "I found my thrill on Blueberry Hill" all the time to myself whenever I see you coming. I hope you can tell from my greeting that I'm EXCITED about not only seeing you, but excited about our love, where we are, and where we are going.......I love you.......

me

Love Dare Day 8

Love Dare

Day 8

Love is not jealous

"...love is as strong as death, it's jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like a blazing fire..."

-Song of Solomon 8:6 NIV

Jealousy is one of the strongest drives known to man. It comes from the root word for zeal and means "to burn with an intense fire."

...jealousy is a common struggle. IT is sparked when someone else upstages you & gets something you want. This can be very painful depending upon how selfish you are...

If you're not careful...it can poison you from living the life of love God intended.

...because love is not selfish and puts others first, it refuses to let jealousy in.

...it is time to let love, humility, and gratefulness destroy any jealousy that springs up in your heart. It's time you let your mate's successes dray you closer together and give you greater opportunities to show love.

TODAY'S DARE

DETERMINE TO BECOME YOUR SPOUSE'S BIGGEST FAN AND REJECT ANY THOUGHTS OF JEALOUSY. TO HELP SET YOUR HEART ON YOUR SPOUSE AND FOCUS ON ACHIEVEMENTS, TAKE YESTERDAY'S LIST OF NEGATIVE ATTRIBUTES AND DISCREETLY BURN IT. THEN SHARE WITH YOUR SPOUSE HOW GLAD YOU ARE ABOUT A SUCCESS HE OR SHE RECENTLY ENJOYED.

my dearest Boo,

it will not be hard for me to destroy that list....it was terribly hard to create it though....It was hard to do that, but I am happy to burn that page......*grins*

I am sorry if I have had any hidden jealousy for your success, or for how your past has seemed happier, or easier...please forgive me....I love you & I only want the best for you because that means the best for us too!

love

me

livin' our love song.....fireproof style!

my groom works 2nd shift & usually doesn't walk in the door until about 11:20 pm. I find myself every night at this time feeling excited like a school girl.......just waiting for him to come home. He goes to college 1/2 time & works too.....so he's so busy! I miss having him here with me but I know this is for the best.......how I miss him!

I wake up every morning, look into his sleepy face & I am EXCITED!!!! I am happy! To know that this man I love loves me too! I sometimes want to pinch myself because he is ever so dreamy! I don't know what in the world I ever did to deserve this wonderful man of mine....but I thank God I did! oh...it wasn't me.......it was GOD! Thank you God.

there are times he looks at me like he's seeing me for the first time.....I ask him something like "is there something wrong with my hair?"

he just smiles and says

"I'm just thinking about how much I love you."

yep. me. Lil' ol' me! He loves me.

when we first wake in the morning, he hugs me up to him & hugs me like he hasn't seen me in forever! he kisses me & tells me how much he loves me........and it's been that way for the longest time!

I'm not saying we never argue, or that we've not had moments that weren't our best in this marriage.......but thru the Grace of God we are just DOING THIS! We are living our love song (like the country song)

I thank God that my groom is my groom. God made us to be together.....to grow old together......to be together forever.....because of God our marriage is FIREPROOF and we are going to be one of those couples that make it y'all...I thank you GOD!

Love Dare Day 7

Love Dare

Day 7

"love believes the best"

...[love]believes all things, hopes all things.-1 Cor. 13:7

...in the deep and private corridors of yoru heart, there is a room. It's called the Appreciation Room....

...on the walls are written kinds words and phrases like 'dilligent worker'...'wonderful cook'...

or "beautiful eyes"...

they are things you've discovered...that have embedded themselves in your memory....

....down another darker corridor of your heart lies the Depreciation Room...and you unfortunately visit that room as well..on those walls are things that irritate you about yoru spouse....

Love knows about the Depreciation Room and does not live in denial that it exists. But LOVE chooses not to live there.

...you must develop the habit of reining in your negative thoughts and focusing on the positive attributes of your mate...it is a decision that YOU make whether THEY deserve it or not.

~~

TODAYS DARE:

For today's dare, get 2 sheets of paper. On the first one, spend a few eminutes writing out positive things about your spouse. Then do the same with the negative things on the second sheet. Place both sheets in a secret palce for another day.

there is a different purpose and plan for each.

at some point of the remainder of the day, pick a positive attribute from the first list & thank your spouse for having this characteristic.

my dear sweet Boo,

I am 7 days into this 'Love Dare' and I realize how blessed I am that you are the wonderful man that you are...even-more-so than I ever appreciated before.

there are so many positive things about you that I will have no problem filling out that 1st sheet of paper, but what about the 2nd? That is what is going to be hard!

now to write these things down & hide them in a secret place....you know me so well, I have no secret places, so this will be interesting! LOL

I love you!

me

Love Dare Day 6

Love Dare

day 6

"love is not irritable"

"...He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city...-Proverbs 16:32

...How easily do you get offended? Some people live with the moto

"never pass up an opportunity to get upset with your spouse".

ask yourself...are you a calming breeze or a storm waiting to happen?...

Why do people become irritable? There are at least 2 key reasons that contribute to it.

1. stress
2. selfishness

....life is a marathon, not a sprint....

The Bible can help you avoid unhealthy stress..

• colossians 3:12-14
• Philippians 4:6-7
• Exodus 18:17
• Proverbs 25:16

those are just a few examples :)

...love will lead you to forgive instead of holding a grudge...

TODAY'S DARE!

Choose today to react to tough circumstances in yoru marriage in loving ways instead of with irritation.

Begin by making a list below of areas where you need to add margin to your schedule, then list any wrong motivations that you need to release from your life.

my dear sweet Boo,

how I have gotten irritated due to stress here, and I am so sorry that I have fallen so short & have allowed worries over finances, breaking down of things upset me to the point that I've become irritated with it sometimes...to the point of being short with you. I'm so sorry!

I know that I need to take time & get away from the house sometimes, just to release the pressure cooker so to speak so that I won't get frustrated due to the stress, and I know that I also need to pray thru these situations more...harder....louder.....whatever it takes so that you will know that it's NOT YOU.....and so that I will stop being irritating.

I'm praying Lord, help me let go of the worries of our finances, our lack of presents for the children, our breaking down of stove problems.etc. Help me. I want my groom to know how precious, how special he is to me. He is my everything. My groom & my children are my life, LORD!

Love Dare Day 5

Love Dare

Day 5

"love is not rude"

...He who blesses his friend with a loud voice early in the morning, it will be reckoned a curse to him.-Proverbs 27:14...

Nothing irritates others as quickly as being rude...As always love has something to say about this....

The bottom line is that genuine love minds it's manners.

...There are 2 main reasons why people are rude ignorance and selfishness ...Neither, of course, is a good thing....

Here are 3 guiding principles when it comes to practicing etiquette in your marriage:

1. Guard the golden rule. Treate your mate the same way you want to be treated (see Luke 6:31)
2. No double standards. Be as considerate to your spouse as you are to strangers & coworkers
3. Honor requests. consider what your husband or wife already asked you to do. If in doubt, then ask.

~~

TODAY'S DARE:

Ask your spouse to tell you 3 things that cause him or her to be uncomfortable or irritated with you. You must do so without attacking them or justifying your behavior. This is from their perspective only.

• what things did your spouse point out about you that need your attention?
• How did you handle hearing it?
• What do you plan to do to improve these areas?

my dearest Boo,

this is going to be the hardest day for me thus far because I know that sometimes I get you irritated with me because of my snide remarks. I almost 'dread' hearing/reading what 3 things you mention I need to work on, because I have more than plenty to draw from, you know that.

this study has opened my eyes so much. I wonder if you can tell?

Love Dare Day 4

Love Dare

Day 4

"Love is thoughtful"

...how precious also are Your thoughts to me...

How vast is the sum of them! If I should count them,

they would outnumber the sand... -Psalm 139:17-19

...love thinks. It's not a mindless feeling that rides on waves of emotion and falls asleep mentally....

...when you first fell in love...you honestly confessed, "I can't stop thinking about you."...

When was the last time you spent a few minutes thinking about how you could better understand and demonstrate love to your spouse?

today's dare

contact your spouse sometime during the business of the day. Have no agenda other than asking how he or she is doing and if there is anything you could do for them.

~~

my dear sweet Boo,

How easy it is to love you! How wonderfully this love we have is! I love you so much! This Love Dare is making me love you even more (if that is possible). I wonder if you've noticed????

Love Dare Day 3

Day 3

Love is not selfish

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love;

give preference to one another in honor.-Romans 12:10

"...if there were ever a word that basically means the opposite of love,

it is selfishness...."

"...why do we have such low standards for ourselves but high expectations for our mate? The answer is a painful pill to swallow. We are all selfish..."

ask yourself these questions

• Do I truly want what's best for my mate?
• Do I truly want them to feel loved by me?
• Do they believe I have their best interests in mind?
• Do they see me as looking out for myself first?

"Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves."-Philippians 2:3

along with restraining from negative comments, buy your spouse something that says "I was thinking of you today"

__

my sweet Boo, I know we don't have money for me to buy you anything, and how it aches my heart that I can't "really" do todays dare. If I could, I would.....you know that.

This morning, I went to the store & bought some new style of chocolate rolls to fix especially for you....we all shared, but when I bought them, I was truly thinking of you.

you are so easy to be good to, so easy to love. I thank the Lord above that He gave me you to love.

love,

me

Love Dare Day 2

Love Dare Day 2

Love is Kind

"...kindness is love in action. If patience is how love reacts in

order to minimize a negative circumstance, kindness is how love acts to

maximize a positive circumstance..."

"...the Bible describes a woman whose husband and children bless

and praise her....(Psalms 31:26)....how about you?...how are you...rated

on the kindness meter...."

"...you will never learn to love until you learn to demonstrate kindness..."

in addition to day 1 (saying nothing negative to your spouse), do at least one

unexpected gesture as an act of kindness.

my dear sweet Boo,

kindness is easy when your yolk is light. You are such a good husband to me, that I can't help but want to be nothing but kind to you. I know that there are so many things I need to work on, oh groom of mine.....not the least being how I joke you sometimes in not a 'flattering' way. I shouldn't joke you whenever you mistake what I'm doing about the bread, or anything of the sort. I so need to work on this. I wouldn't want you to think I'm mocking you, belittling you....because I'm not.....and I should show you more kindness in this.....I'm so sorry.

unexpected kindness? What can I do as an unexpected kindness towards you? I will figure out something!

do you know on day 2 that I'm trying to do this for you today?

I love you!

Love Dare Day 1

Love Dare

Day 1

Love is patient

"....love is built on 2 pillars that best define what it is. Those pillars are patience and kindness......."

"....the Love Dare journey.it is a marathon not a sprint.but it's a race worth running....."

today's LOVE DARE>>>

for (today) resolve to demonstrated patience & say nothing negative to your spouse at all.

my dearest Boo,

today is day 1 of the love dare that I am doing. After seeing this wonderful movie with the family I was put under conviction of how badly I need to work on this. Our marriage is strong, and I know that we aren't in 'trouble' the way that the marriage was in this movie, but my dear I believe that no matter who we are, we can always learn to treat our mates better.

You are such a blessing of God to me. Every time I look at you, my heart still races! How excited I get whenever I know that I am going to see you! I know that some may find this silly, after 8 years together, but I am so happy that you're still the ONE. We are so blessed.

when I prayed about starting this LOVE DARE, I knew that I would have to (as they did in Josh. 3 when they were crossing into Jordan), move with faith, and let go of the past. I am not afraid of letting go of things I tried to hold onto......no longer will I worry that you will leave me like I've been left before......Lord knows I've tried you by fire long enough........(LOL). You are such an honorable man, and I don't say that lightly. You truly are. You inspire me to be not only a better human, but a better Christian. How I love you so.

I am so sorry for the countless times that I failed todays dare (before starting this love dare), and I know there will be times that (in being human) I will fail again....but just know, my dear heart.....that I love you more than I can say. You mean the world to me, and more. How thankful am I that I have you to love, and be loved by.

it is not even 9:00 AM, and I'm excited to do today's dare. I wonder if you will be able to tell I'm doing it? LOL

I love you!
me.

Fire Proof...Love Dare

tonight at church I got it!!!!!!!!!!

LOVE DARE!

the book!

it was featured in the movie "FIREPROOF"!!!!!

I'm so excited & I can't wait to get started! I will share it with you as I go.