My husband and I have known each other, and have been best friends, for a decade; 123 phases of the moon to be exact! This year we will celebrate our 8th wedding anniversary (EXCITING). We've had good times and bad. We've rolled through easy times, and slammed up against the proverbial wall in hard times. We've laughed together. We've cried together. (Don't tell him I'm telling you this! And for the record, I cry WAY more than he does. His tears are like Halley's Comet, okay?) And we've managed to navigate through it all... together. (Man, it is so wonderful having a partner here on earth to help share and deal with those rough, chaotic, crazy, numbing, shocking, scary, mind-blowing, and all-the-good-stuff-too, etc. moments in life! Where would I be without my husband? Oooo, don't even want to think about that!)
Recently, I have been overcome with an immense desire to grow in my walk with the Lord. I have a yearning to honor Him... in every way possible... (not just through prayer and reading my Bible... occasionally. When I face the music, I've been selfish. EXTREMELY selfish. I truly want to make God a priority in my life. I don't want to be a "lukewarm" Christian.)
Now, bear with me. I'm not passing judgement here, and I'm not trying to "shove my Bible in your face." If you are a nonbeliever, I feel God will be the one who works in your heart if you are called. Not me! And I am not perfect, so please don't judge God by me and my thoughts. Like I said, I've been selfish. I've struggled... a LOT! Within the last three years, I've only started to study my relationship with God, and I have TONS to learn. I am imperfect because I live in the flesh. But, I'm working on it. And while this post is about spiritual growth for me, I write because I think it could help anyone in a relationship... no matter your religion, beliefs, age, status, etc. (But if I'm being honest here, I do hope you are getting to know God.)
In reflecting upon my "house of love" with my husband, I am disappointed with myself because I have fallen so terribly short compared to the potential mark I could measure up to as a friend, spouse, and mother to our child. I thought our relationship and home-life was great. Don't get me wrong, it is pretty wonderful. But it could be amazing and fabulous. My focus has been in the wrong place... my focus has been on "us" instead of God. And now, more than ever, I want my "house of love" to honor the Lord.
I realize I have not been doing all I need and can do to put God first in my life; I feel in my heart that my lack of honor has been reflected greatly within my role as a wife and mother in my home. I've barely attempted to become a Titus 2 woman, or a Proverbs 31 wife, even though I pray for this change constantly. So, I have finally decided to turn those thoughts into actions! Because, let's face it... I have to meet God half-way! I can't expect Him to do all the work! Especially if I'm not doing my part to build a relationship with/and honor Him.
"My So-Called Life as a Proverbs 31 Wife" by Sara Horn and "Girls Gone Wise in a World Gone Wild" by Mary A. Kassian are great reads! And these two books, particularly the latter, are helping me get back on track. After finishing those books, I stumbled across a third book, "The Love Dare" by Stephen and Alex Kendrick with Lawrence Kimbrough. While the previous two books are helpful to me as an individual, "The Love Dare" is a challenge for me and Matt to work on together.
My husband is a nonbeliever, bless his heart. But because he loves me and respects me, he has agreed to take this spiritual challenge with me to improve our love and marriage... to honor God. I want God at the center of my life, and I want Him to be at the center of my marriage. I do not take this lightly. This is for God. This is for husband. This is for daughter. This is for love.
I first heard about "The Love Dare" when I watched the movie Fireproof. It really captured my attention. When I stumbled across the book, I was ecstatic! (A few days before I found the book, Matt had asked me what he could be doing on his end to improve our relationship - he noticed I was starting to make all of these changes on my end. I walked up to him at the store, showed him the book, and said, "This. You can do this with me to improve our relationship." He agreed.)
"The Love Dare" is about unconditional love, and showing unconditional love to your spouse. (You can take it a step further and apply this to every relationship in your life.) This 40-day challenge is a journey to help spouses improve and/or repair their "houses of love" (fix those loose floorboards, cracking foundation, and sagging roof!)... a "love-home repair" maintenance manual to help you "understand and practice unconditional love." You should know, there is a disclaimer at the beginning of the book. This dare is not for the faint of heart.
I encourage you to give considerable thought to your spouse, and others in your life: how do you treat them? How do you talk to them? Do your thoughts, words, and actions respect them? Do you honor God in your attention to others, particularly your spouse?
My husband and I are only five days into the 40-day Love Dare Challenge. Our findings and discoveries about our "love" have been mind-blowing thus far!
So, I TRIPLE DOG DARE YOU (if you are familiar with the childhood ritual of daring... this one, the triple dog dare, is the mother-load. It is the most serious of dares!) to take the Love Dare. You'll be amazed at your growth as a couple... or friend. Or parent. Or child. You get the picture?
[Stay tuned to see how we fared in Day 1 of our Love Dare challenge!]
No comments:
Post a Comment