The Love Dare - Day 12

Day 12: Love lets the other win – “Submit to one another out of reverence to Christ.” - Ephesians 5:21; “Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for interests others.” - Philippians 2:4

Hmm…this can be very difficult, especially in a heated argument. It’s very hard to let the other person win an argument; however, how many arguments do we have that are trivial? Where do you want to go for dinner? What color do we paint the kitchen? Those types of questions come up in our daily lives and are certainly areas that we can choose to let the other win. Is there really anything wrong with stopping and grabbing a quick dinner at Arby’s instead of spending the extra money and going to Chili’s? Or, is Tempered All Spice really that different from Delta Sandbar once you get them on the wall? I could certainly (not necessarily easily) give in on “arguments” such as this. Can you imagine the peace in your home if you didn’t fuss about the things that really don’t matter? What about those things that do matter? Do we spank the kids or just send them to time out? You want a new car, but your spouse doesn’t think it’s necessary. These things can turn into big deals quickly, but if we think and plan ahead as to how we will handle issues like this we can train ourselves to let things go for the sake of our marriage.

Day 12 Dare: Demonstrate love by willingly choosing to give in to an area of disagreement between you and your spouse. Tell them you are putting their preference first.

There wasn’t really anything today that brought about a disagreement in our house. Matt stayed home from the farm today since his dad worked today. It was really nice since the kids were away last night and didn’t come home until naptime! We slept in and then had a quiet breakfast together. Honestly, since Day 1, there have been few disagreements because I have chosen to be positive instead of negative. I can’t think of one single, solitary negative thing I have said to Matt in the last 12 days. So, giving in to areas of disagreement is coming easily to me. Since I’m the one that usually gets riled up about things we can’t agree on, it’s been rather peaceful. I will continue to do this and remember to keep my negativity at bay. I hope you are able to submit to your spouse as you do to Christ. I’m working on it and it is definitely coming easier every day!

Lord, as the days go by, help me to remember the reason for my Love Dare. Please help me to know that I am doing this so that my marriage is strengthened and glorifies You. Help me to be an example and source of encouragement to those couples in desperate need. Amen.