Day 3: Love is not selfish - "Love is never satisfied except in the welfare of others."
The things we put our interest, priorities, money and time into are the things we love. Think about it this way...we say that we "love" to go out to eat or that we love to read a good book. Really? Do we love these things or just enjoy doing them? I'm going to go with the second choice and say that I just enjoy doing those things. So really, we should not put those false "loves" in front of our true love - our spouse. If I want to read a book or make some cards or play online I should make sure to ask Matt if there is anything he wants to talk to me about or if he would like to spend a few minutes together before I go off to do my own thing.
Day 3 Dare: Whatever you put your time, energy, and money into will become more important to you. It's hard to care for something you are not investing in. Along with restraining from negative comments, buy your spouse something that says, "I was thinking of you today."
I pondered this dare all day today. Matt is very difficult to buy for and really doesn't ever want or need anything. My first thought was to buy him a can of Skoal, which is the kind of tobacco he uses. I usually will not be a party to his bad habit. But, I knew it would be something he would truly appreciate. Then, I tossed around the idea of getting him a card, but since Valentine's Day is in 2 days, that wasn't really a good idea since I've already gotten him a card for that. I threw around some other ideas before I emailed my friend Laura to see if she had any suggestions. Lo and behold, she suggested I get him his favorite brand of tobacco. Ahhh, she knows Matt, too! So, that justified my first thought and I stopped on the way home and got him not one, but two cans of Skoal. I handed them to him a few minutes after the kids and I got home. I told him that I had seen them on sale (it was the truth) when I stopped to get gas and it made me think of him, so I picked them up for him. He thanked me and told me that I probably didn't get a good deal. Plus, he had just bought a whole roll on his way home. BACKFIRE! Oh well, it was the thought that counts, right? Also, in addition to not saying anything negative today, I also sat in the living room and played Blackjack with Matt for a while before we went to bed. It's his favorite game and he's always begging me to play with him. He was shocked when I told him I would play! We had a good time.
So, I'm just going to keep plugging along each day. Adding each dare as it comes along. I know they will get more difficult as the days go by, but I'm up for the challenge. Are you?
Lord, thank you for the positive response I have had so far. Help me to remember that it's not just about me. Amen.
