Love is Thoughtful - Day 4 2nd time around

Thoughts - they manipulate the mind, they turn us for or against something, we become our thoughts. Remember when you and your spouse first met, you didn't know much but there was a mutual attraction for each other. You thought about him/her all the time. Your thoughts overtook every part of your life. They were on your mind always and then you got married or serious and you saw parts of them that irritated or annoyed you. I bet they saw the same in you too. This is the destructive part of the relationship, if you allow your thoughts to focus on the annoying stuff, you will become negative towards your relationship. Now if you think about your meeting, you will remember and think positive about your relationship.

Do you remember the first time you laid eyes on your spouse? I do, I was crazy and flew to Vegas to meet him. I had friends come with me but I flew here and came to his house. (which I had given the address to many people, just in case he was a crazy man) I remember seeing his eyes the first time and my heart fluttering. I remember his smile as he leaned on the wall at the doorway into the kitchen. I remember that first kiss and the first I love you. I remember the laughter we shared. These are the thoughts I like to fill my mind with, not the things he didn't do or didn't do correctly (according to me).

Take a moment and remember your first month of dating, and how you felt. Remember that you would do anything for that man/woman of yours. You would call in the middle of the day just to see what they were doing and if you could help them out. Well, today is the day to start that again. Contact your spouse and let them know you are thinking about them and wondering how their day is going. Ask if there is something you can do for them to make their day better. Let them know they are in your thoughts and prayers as they go through life. This is so very important to our spouses and for you too. Let me know how it goes!

Kindness - Day 2 ~ Selfishness - Day 3

Day 2 was about doing a kind gesture for your spouse. Not for the sake of saying See I did this for you, but for the sake of showing them kindness and compassion. We live in a world where we are told, don't do that for your spouse, they will take advantage of you. I say are you kidding. I want my husband to know that I love him. I want my husband to know that I intend to be kind to him always. Why wouldn't I cook for him, clean for him, do laundry for him, iron for him, etc...you get my drift. What makes it so hard for people to understand that my doing things for my husband isn't degrading or demoralizing, it's blessing him which blesses me when I see a smile on his face and joy in his walk.

With over 50% of American couples getting divorced, I'm thinking something has to change. Tell me what have you done today to demonstrate kindness and selflessness to your spouse. What have you done today to enjoy the life God has given you by giving to another? Today I ironed. It was the one thing I could do for my spouse alone. Only he will wear the shirt I ironed. Only he will benefit from my gesture. No one else will get the joy of putting on a clean, ironed shirt and feel my love. That is what I did today as my gesture of kindness. It doesn't have to be grandeous, it doesn't have to be out of the ordinary, it just has to have you thinking about them in the process of doing it.

Be Kind and Selfless Today!

Love Dare Day 1 - second time around

So this morning I awoke and started my daily plan. In my morning daze, I grabbed the laundry basket and headed downstairs to do my morning routine. This morning though I got to the washer and it was still full from yesterday. When I opened the dryer to switch the laundry over it was still full from two days ago. My anger started to bubble up to the top. I thought really, I work all day and am trying to maintain a household, keeping up with the laundry and all I ask my husband to do is to pull it out and put it on the bed. Can I not get any help with keeping this household up?

Then today's message - PATIENCE. Love is patient is the title. Ephesians's 4:2 ~ Be completely humble and gentle, be patient, bearing with one another in love. Wow, God was working today. There was a line that just struck my heart. Anger is often an emotional reaction that flows out of our own selfishness, foolishness or evil motives. Did you feel it hit me? It felt like an earthquake, after my thoughts above. Now I'm thinking, really Karen, is this important. Are you truly going to get mad at your husband over your inane desire to keep everything super clean and super organized? This seems like a you thing not a we thing and at the end of the day what really matters. So by keeping silent, keeping an open heart and being gently reminded by our Lord, I'm able to put this aside and move on with my day.

Love is patient!!! Strive to be patient today in every relationship because at the end of the day that's what God does for us. He is patient with our faults, sins and disrespect and He Love Us!