Day 2: Love is kind- "Love makes you kind. And kindness makes you likeable." (p.6)
This was one of my favorite lines so far. We need to be likeable to our spouses. I know that my Hubby loves me, but I want him to like me as well. And being kind is the key to being likeable. Kindness encompasses gentleness, helpfulness, willingness, and initiative. We need to display all four of these attributes toward our spouses.
The authors stress here that love is not just based on feelings. "Love determines to show thoughtful actions even when there seems to be no reward. You will never learn to love until you learn to demonstrate kindness." (p.8)
As children we are taught to be kind to others. Learning this ability at a young age helps us to learn that we cannot be selfish in our actions toward others. The selfish child soon learns that no one wants to play with him because he will not share his toys.
Likewise, if we are selfish in our marriages, we will soon discover that we cannot give and receive love.
Day 2 Dare: In addition to saying nothing negative to your spouse again today, do at least one unexpected gesture as an act of kindness.
I like how the second dare builds on the first. It adds another dimension to our actions toward our spouse. In addition to not yelling at my husband for not picking up his socks, I was able to take it a step further. For this dare, I laid out Hubby's work clothes for him while he was in the shower. I firmly believe that he is an adult and is capable of doing this himself. But today, I took the initiative to help him get ready for work.
Because life is not meant to be a do-it-yourself project, you can read more about parenting and faith at Heather’s personal blog Not a DIY Life.
Ladies, how are you taking the initiative in your marriage to show kindness, gentleness, and helpfulness? Join us in The Love Dare Challenge group at The League and let us know how this dare worked for you!
Not a member of The League of Extraordinary Wives? E-mail us at wedblissfully@gmail.com to ask for an invitation!
This series is based on the book The Love Dare from the movie, Fireproof.
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I'm not married yet, but in 7 months I will be! It's amazing how often we forget how much simple acts of kindness mean to others and in our daily lives. Sometimes we all need a little reminder to be more kind, even to those we love the most.
I am taking the love dare to strengthen my marriage with my wife. I wanted to blow up at my wife when she started yelling, but it seemed a bit easier to be patient after I made the committment. I left my wife a note telling her how much I loved her and hoped she has a good day this morning. It's already starting to make a difference. She called me this morning and thanked me for the note. No doubt there will be some difficult moments, but I think it will all be worth it in the end.
My husband and I have only been married for 7 months this week, but both agree that the Love Dare, can make a good marriage better and a bad marriage good. I think it's never too early to work on how you treat your spouse and how you communicate with him or her. We're on day 2, just started after watching the movie FireProof, but it's going well so far!
me and my husband started this book and I am on day 2 today and I have to admit. It was kind of easy starting off not complaining because normally I am excited at the start of doing things. However today he was gettig under my skin and I really wanted to yell at him and thought to myself… Be patient ok and be kind… kind of amazing what this can do for a marriage… Infact I can say the movie has changed my marriage completely… Not too long ago we could go 24 hours without fighting and were on the verge of a divorce… Now its almost as if we have more of a longing for making it work and putting the Gold in the fire to make it pure…..