Commitments…. the Love Dare

For the past few years for Lent, I have opted to commit to something rather than give anything up. I have committed to going to church twice a week, praying for others each day, attending a minimum amount of Al-Anon meetings, to name a few. This year I am excited because Tom and I are making a commitment together! We have decided to take the Love Dare. This was a part of the movie Fireproof. For those unfamiliar with this it is a 40-day challenge that is meant to enrich your relationships. It is meant to lead you to love unconditionally. We all have things that we would like to change about each other but really, they are pieces of how God created them. Yes, we should change things about ourselves that are not “good” but they are self issues and not trying to change someone else. God created them in His image not in ours.

Tom and I have had some extreme challenges in the last few years and have come out of each situation stronger individually and in our marriage. We will both stand by the fact that we have a good strong marriage but we also can’t deny that we are human, we make mistakes and are not always the best spouse. We are doing this to maintain a healthy relationship, to deepen our relationship with each other and strengthen our faith. From what I have seen and read so far, if we are able to complete the Dare, it will be an extremely rewarding accomplishment. It has been successful in bringing marriages back from the brink of divorce. With our relationship already strong as it stands, I can only imagine what may come!

Day 1 – Love is Patient

For those that know me, my patience fluctuate but mostly they are somewhat thin. I have patience for some things but others I have absolutely none. Tom will tell you that when I get an idea in my head, nothing else will happen or be acceptable until that thing has happened. I am great at doing everything I can to get there with the exception of just being patient. Let’s just say I am determined. Many things, this is ok, others…….wow, not so ok. I have to say that I have gotten better but I’m not there yet. I try (really hard) to just hand them over to God. Sometimes I have to re-hand them over because I keep taking it back but at-least I know to hand it over again. On the other hand, Tom is pretty patient. Especially when it comes to me. So this should be pretty easy for him. We are challenged to be patient with each other. Truly patient. If we are angered for one reason or another we are to be breath and NOT REACT! In the past few years, I have gotten much, much better at NOT reacting at-least initially and especially at the big things. The small things are where I have more troubles. I am guilty of wanting Tom to “jump” when I need him to and I am often impatient when he can’t or it’s inconvenient. This challenge may be a little more difficult for me but I figure because I am aware of the fact I do this, it is something I need to work on. Wish us luck!!