The Love Dare....

Fireproof
What an awesome movie! For anyone that is married this movie is a must see!
I won’t ruin the movie for anyone by telling you what happens, so don’t worry.
I will recommend that you go see this with your spouse!
Then for those who would like to change a rocky marriage, or those that just want
to raise their marriage to another level then read on.

The movie is a journey filled with challenges. It is a “Love Dare”.
It is often difficult to do, but very fulfilling if you are
determined to commit to forty days of “dares”.

I will list each days “dare” and sometimes share my results along the way.
Yikes!! This could prove embarrassing!

Day 1. “Our words often reflect the condition of our heart”.
Resolve to demonstrate patience and to say nothing negative to your spouse at all.
You must find a way to hold your tongue when you are tempted to say something negative.

Day 2. “Love is Kind” Be gentle, helpful, willing, and show initiative. Take the first step.
Adding on to day one…do at least one unexpected gesture or act of kindness today.

Day 3. “Love is not selfish” Usually our own misery comes from our own selfishness. We keep standards for ourselves at a level that is often so low, but for our spouse we raise the bar to extreme levels. Check your motives; prioritize the well being of your spouse.
Today: along with day 1. buy your spouse something today that says, “I was thinking of you today”.

Day 4. “Love is thoughtful” How many of us couldn’t wait to talk to our spouse each day when we were dating? We wondered what he/she was doing during the day. We would call just to say silly things like, “ I just wanted to hear your voice”, or “ I just wanted to say I love you”.
Today: along with day 1. contact your spouse sometime during the day, with nothing more to say than you were thinking about them, or you just want to know if there is anything you can do for them. Have no other agenda and keep it short and sweet.

Day 5. “Love is not rude” Think about how you treat your friends and/or co-workers. The tone of voice you use when talking to friends from church. Remember when we were taught to treat others, as we would like to be treated? Well…
Today: ask your spouse to tell you 3 things that you do that makes him uncomfortable or irritates him. I had mine write them down, so we would not get off track and end up in an argument. Remember the answers are his feelings, and he/she does not have to qualify them to you.

Day 6. “ Love is not irritable” I love how the “Love Dare” describes being irritable as someone who is “locked, loaded, and ready to overreact”. It tells us to ask ourselves “ Am I a calming breeze or a storm waiting to happen”? “Life is a marathon, not a sprint. This means you must balance, prioritize, and pace yourself”. Take time to love on your spouse each day.
Today: Make a list of areas that you need to add margin to your schedule. If you do not have time each day to be in God’s word and to show your spouse some attention then you need to adjust. Learn to say “no”.

Day 7. “Love believes the best” Do you remember all the things your spouse did, said, or was to you that made you fall in love with him/her? Well its time to clean out the moths, and dust off the warm fuzzies!
Today: get two sheets of paper and on the first list all the positive things you can think of about your spouse. List all the warm fuzzies you fell in love with. On the second sheet of paper write down all the nasty negatives about your spouse. There is a different purpose and plan for both. Now pick a positive attribute and at some point today thank him/her for having this characteristic.

OK…Now that is where I am in the challenge. I will post more as I go through the challenge with ya’ll. Let me know how ya’ll are doing.