What a day! I hope your all doing good..I am going to have to get back to you on how my dare #5 went..I am posting really early because I have so much going on today..I had to text my questions to Danny because I haven't seen him or talked to him except briefly on his breaks..and I wont be seeing him 'til later tonight on the way to a wedding..So we shall see..On we go!
Day 6
Day 6He who is slow to anger is better that the mighty, and he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city.-Proverbs 16:31
Love is not irritable
To be irritable means "to be near the point of a knife." not far from being poked. people who are irritable are locked, loaded and ready to overreact.
People become irritable for two key reasons: Stress. Which weighs you down , drains your energy, weakens your health, and invites you to be cranky. The other is selfishness. When your irritable, the heart of the problem is primarily a problem of the heart. Jesus said," Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks" (Matthew 12:34 nkjv)
Being easily angered is an indicator that a hidden area of selfishness or insecurity is present where love is supposed to rule. But selfishness also wears other masks:
Lust, for example is the result of being ungrateful for what you have and choosing to covet or burn for passion for something that is forbidden.When your heart is lustful, it will become easily frustrated and angered(James 4:1-3). Bitterness, takes root when you respond in a judgemental way and refuse to work through your anger. A bitter person's unresolved anger leaks out when he is provoked(Ephesians 4:31). Greed for more money and possessions will frustrate you with unfulfilled desires(1 timothy 6:9-10) coupled with dissatisfaction will make you lash out on anyone in your way. Pride leads you to act harshly in order to protect your ego and reputation.
These motivations can never be satisfied. But when love enters your heart, it calms you down and inspires you to quit focusing on yourself. it loosens its grasp and helps you to let go of unnecessary things.
Love will lead you to forgive instead of holding a grudge. To be grateful instead of greedy. to be content rather that rushing into more debt. Love encourages you to be happy when someone succeeds rather that being envious. Love says "share the inheritance" rather than "fight with your relatives." love ultimately lowers your stress and helps you release venom that can build up inside. It then sets up your heart to respond to your spouse with patience and encouragement rather than anger and exasperation.
Today's day
Choose today to react to tough circumstances in your marriage in loving ways instead of with irritation. Begin by making a list of areas where you need to add margin in your daily schedule. Then list any wrong motivations that you need to release from your life.
Questions for you to answer:
- Where do you need to add margin in your life? (to reduce stress)
- When have you recently overreacted?
- What was your real motivation behind it?
You are all amazing me! Thank you for your comments it really inspires me! It takes me about an hour to do these posts! I have lots of kids who pop in and ask questions so it takes awhile to get it done..but it is worth it! Your worth it! Thanks for stopping by! love ya mean it! Stephanie
image who knows book excerpts Alex and Stephen kendrick
5 comments:
Hello there Sisters in Christ,
I have to say that I was truly astounded last evening when I asked Carroll about three things I do that annoy him. His answer was, "Honestly, there is just one". I knew before he even said it what it was going to be, but only because it had happened just the evening before and I caught him just about ready to say something and he stopped.
So that is how I handled it...totally amazed. And since it had just happened the evening before, I knew what he said was true.
How will I handle correcting it? Well, the only way I know to answer this is "by God's grace". I have a chronic health issue and I honestly believe that this problem stems from the health issue. HOWEVER, I am NOT going to sell my Father's power short! He has made me more than a conqueror, so I am going to trust Him to help me with this.
I would certainly appreciate the prayers of the ladies who meet here regarding this.
Good luck on #6 every one.
Many prayers to you Diana. Chronic illness can be very stressful and tiring. I admire your attitude. Expect a good day tomorrow!
Thank you for doing this Stephanie! I asked my husband those tough questions, and he said I don't do anything that really irritates him (yeah...right!). I think he's just feeling more loved than ever because I'm doing the love dare...so I really appreciate this!
I confess I tweaked this one a little bit because otherwise I was afraid he would know something was up! ha. So I narrowed the question down to a particular area that I KNOW I need to improve on. He didn't give me a direct answer yet. So I'll have to ask again. yuck. ha.
Day 6 will be even more challenging because of the depth and breadth of it, but here goes...
Sure love doing this with the gang here! Makes it seem easier.
Stephanie..first off, thanks so much for the time and energy invested to even do this challenge via blog...which I am sure is very time consuming..I appreciate the efforts! :-)
Second, I did get to ask my hubby via phone about the three things that I do that make him uncomfortable or irritated. He said right off the bat...that you are not here with me! ummmm...okay that's a given, but I can't help that one!!! So...he said he would try to think of something...I already know one because it has been made known to me in an off-handed comment during a phone call a while back...so I am really working and examining myself for change on that one...praying. Working on Day 6! Had so much going on this weekend, I had to let it simmer on the back burner even though I didn't want to (hah, and it is about making margins....)
Thanks Stephanie. :-)
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