Day 27: Love Encourages
ELIMINATE THE POISON OF UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS IN YOUR HOME. THINK OF ONE AREA WHERE YOUR SPOUSE HAS TOLD YOU YOU'RE EXPECTING TOO MUCH, AND TELL THEM YOU'RE SORRY FOR BEING SO HARD ON THEM ABOUT IT. PROMISE THEM YOU'LL SEEK TO UNDERSTAND, AND ASSURE THEM OF YOUR UNCONDITIONAL LOVE.
A "speck inspector" - he or she who notices the speck in your eye, not the log in their own. Speck inspectors "inspect" and "expect" unrealistic performances and accomplishments. They downplay their own negative attributes, while placing their spouse's failures under a magnifying glass!
Loving spouses, on the other hand, establish a safe environment, positive and encouraging. When you fall down, a loving spouse lifts you up. Sure, there are disappointments, unmet needs, hurt feelings, and failures. Love protects and supports - bending over backwards to encourage.
VERSE FOR TODAY'S DARE: "Guard my soul and deliver me; do not let me be ashamed for I take refuge in You" (Psalm 25:20).
THOUGHT FOR TODAY'S DARE: Love doesn't discourage - love encourages. Don't "inspect," but "respect" each other. Allow freedom for mistakes as an opportunity to grow and encourage one another.
Blessings for a "positive and encouraging" day,
Dale and Susan Crook
(Want to take it a step further? Purchase the “Love Dare” book by Stephen Kendrick and Alex Kendrick for additional information and to record your results.)
ELIMINATE THE POISON OF UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS IN YOUR HOME. THINK OF ONE AREA WHERE YOUR SPOUSE HAS TOLD YOU YOU'RE EXPECTING TOO MUCH, AND TELL THEM YOU'RE SORRY FOR BEING SO HARD ON THEM ABOUT IT. PROMISE THEM YOU'LL SEEK TO UNDERSTAND, AND ASSURE THEM OF YOUR UNCONDITIONAL LOVE.
A "speck inspector" - he or she who notices the speck in your eye, not the log in their own. Speck inspectors "inspect" and "expect" unrealistic performances and accomplishments. They downplay their own negative attributes, while placing their spouse's failures under a magnifying glass!
Loving spouses, on the other hand, establish a safe environment, positive and encouraging. When you fall down, a loving spouse lifts you up. Sure, there are disappointments, unmet needs, hurt feelings, and failures. Love protects and supports - bending over backwards to encourage.
VERSE FOR TODAY'S DARE: "Guard my soul and deliver me; do not let me be ashamed for I take refuge in You" (Psalm 25:20).
THOUGHT FOR TODAY'S DARE: Love doesn't discourage - love encourages. Don't "inspect," but "respect" each other. Allow freedom for mistakes as an opportunity to grow and encourage one another.
Blessings for a "positive and encouraging" day,
Dale and Susan Crook
(Want to take it a step further? Purchase the “Love Dare” book by Stephen Kendrick and Alex Kendrick for additional information and to record your results.)
