The Love Dare - 40 days to challenge yourself for your families sake!

Sorry I have been posting less frequently, summer and pregnancy will do that to you!  We have been having a blast at the pool, and the splash park lately.  It has been near 100 degrees for the last few weeks so staying cool is a priority.  We do NOT have air conditioning or a swamp cooler.  The house stays pretty cool in the day, but water is a lot better!  So I have been choosing family fun time over posting!  This pregnancy has me exhausted by nighttime which is when I used to do a lot of posting, but I am here now.

I have been challenged in my own life as a wife and a parent to try the Love Dare from the book Fireproof.

If you haven't watched the movie it is a very inspiring story of a divorce cut short by love.  A long hard love of the will that chooses love when they want to walk away.  I have been wanting to grow in practical applications of love where my husband and kids are concerned.  This 40 day challenge is a great way to focus on the needs of others and not on our own needs.  It is created to strengthen and draw marriages to a deeper place but it is also a great way to practically grow in your relationship with your kiddos or friends.

You can find the whole challenge in book form here at CBD.com, or you can download it from kindle to your e reader or computer, or even get the .99 app from itunes!  You can also find the entire contents of the book with the days dares lined out here on KLOVE  FOR FREE! This is what I am using. You just read a post a day and each day go on to the next post to read the following day's dare.  I read them one night ahead so I can pray and prep myself for the next challenge.

Day 1's challenge is on PATIENCE and you really need to read the whole dare HERE but the short version of the actual dare is to NOT SAY ANYTHING NEGATIVE to your spouse.  I am adding my children in to the dare as well so will be careful not to say anything negative to them as well.  This is a hard one! I have done this one and am working on keeping it up as it is part of what you aspire to do for the next 40 days during the rest of the challenge.  I know that God is blessing my efforts and will continue to bless them! It will get harder before it gets easier.  If your spouse is not loving and you are attempting this to save a dying marriage your struggle will be MUCH greater because it requires something of you when there is no motivation.  It will no doubt be frustrating, and seem too hard to do for someone who you feel is not treating you well.  HOWEVER, God will honor your choice to love the unlovely.  I am not promising it will save every marriage but I KNOW God honors those who honor him! If you are in this place let me know so I can pray for you as you attempt this!

 Pray about it and if this challenge is for you (even if your marriage is great) then go for it!  Let me know if you are joining in so we can encourage each other, and keep each other accountable when it gets hard or we want to quit.  Love is a choice not a feeling.  I am very excited to see how God uses this challenge in my home to draw us all closer to Him and strengthen our relationships.  So who is in? Have you done this before?  Share and let us know how it went!