Day 5
Day 5: Love is not rude
He who blesses his friend with a loud voice early in the morning, it will be reckoned a curse to him.
—Proverbs 27:14
TODAY’S DARE: Ask your spouse to tell you three things that cause him or her to be uncomfortable or irritated with you. You must do so without attacking them or justifying your behavior. This is from her perspective only.
MY INITIAL THOUGHTS: Well, this sure could be an uncomfortable time. Noone likes to hear someone passing judgement on himself. Fortunately, I already know some areas in which I irritate her. 1. I am quick to pass judgement on others in areas that I might do better in if I were in there shoes. 2. I am never excited about things that she is excited about…and go so far as to selfishly make a negative comment about it.
I will pose the question to her sometime this evening and see what it brings….maybe there are a host of other things I do that irriate and/or annoy her.
OUTCOME: Not all bad news. Found out that most of what she gets annoyed about has more to do with the state of our household than particular behaviors. Clutter, clutter, clutter. No organization. Yeah, this drives me nuts too. I have to admit though, I overlook it quite easily; have learned to live in a mess without being bothered by it too much. So, I guess that I will need to step it up a bit more and take on more cleaning responsibilities. Also, and this was not news to me, I need to be more diligent with the check book, making sure that bills are paid on time and we don’t overdraft. I have been quite lazy in this area of life too. Not only has it brought about its financial penalties, it has kept us from becoming more financially ‘at peace’. I have accepted this responsibility for the both of us and it is time I take it more seriously.
Lord, help me to be a better steward of what you have blessed us with. Help me to value the home that we have, the ‘clutter’ we have accumulated, and all that goes into keeping it all together. Help me also to value my wifes insight as to how life can be more managable, rather than being managed and enslaved by it all. Help me Lord to honor my wife in all that I say and do.