Mylanta! Was the last dare hard or what!?!? Writing the list about my husband..well,the positive was easy..the negative was worse that going to the dentist..I am gonna tell you, I wrote the positive with flourish and the negative in tiny letters ..I guess in hopes if i didn't write them in large letters they wouldn't really mean anything..it felt like a betrayal and I hated every minute of it..I wont lie.. the minute it was done I got rid of it..it triggered feelings that I didn't want to look at and I was crabby and unsure all day..So to be able to get rid of it was good for me..how about you? What did you learn? I know for sure that the only thing I wanna do is be his biggest fan! period.
Day 9Greet one another with a kiss of love...-1 Peter 5:14
love makes good impressions
Learning to demonstrate aspects of love like patience, kindness, and encouragement are not always easy but are certainly crucial to a healthy relationship. So dealing with the way you greet your spouse each day may seem inconsequential, but this small issue carries surprising significance.
The Bible has more to say about greetings than you might expect. The apostle Paul took time to encourage his readers to greet one another warmly when they met. In fact, near the end of his letter to the Romans, he asked fellow believers to greet twenty -seven of his friends and loved ones for him. He even took time to list each other by name. Jesus noted in His Sermon on the Mount that even pagans speak kindly to people they like. This is easy for anyone one to do. But He took it a step further and said that being godly included being humble and gracious enough to address even your enemies with kindness.
What difference would it make in your spouse's day if everything about you expressed the fact that you were really, really glad to see them? When someone communicates that they are glad to see you, your personal sense of the self worth increases. You feel more valued and important. That's because a good greeting sets the stage for positive and healthy interaction. Like love, it puts wind in your sails...My aunt Naomi came here for my little sisters wedding..oh mylanta! She came running outta the car across the way yelling "look at all the beautiful, beautiful sisters together!" I can honestly say I was soooo touched!! I felt so loved and appreciated! Like the prodigal son who was greeted so lovingly by his father! What kind of greetings would make your mate feel like that? How could you excite his or her various senses with a simple word, a touch, a tone of voice? A loving greeting can bless your spouse through what they see, hear and feel.
It doesn't have to be bold and dramatic every time. But adding warmth and enthusiasm gives you a chance to touch your mates heart in a subtle unspoken way..this works on your kids too...I change my greeting and have had much happier teenagers around here! Love is a choice. So choose to change your greeting. Choose to love.
Today's dare
Think of a specific way you'd like to greet your spouse today. Do it with a smile and with enthusiasm. Then determine to change your greeting to reflect your love for them.
Questions for you:
- When and where did you choose to do your special greeting?
- How will you change your greeting from this point on?
Congratulations so far! I may post comments in the comment boxes for you so check in there too. Thanks for stopping by! love ya! mean it! Stephanie
image country living book excerpt Alex and Stephen Kendrick
6 comments:
I'm sorry that I didn't post yesterday...but I did make my two lists the day before...the positive was SO easy to write and far out numbered the negative list. Know why? Because I didn't have anything to write on the negative list. I know it seems "not right"...but it is true. We had some friends around our age who had quite a shock about a year ago...the husband died instantly from a major heart attack. When things like that happen, it makes one stop and do a LOT of thinking. I purposed in my heart then and there that the "negative" would no longer be in existence.
Carroll was looking at something on the internet and telling me what he'd like to have. I said, "Some day when we are rich that will be the first thing you get!" :) His immediate response was, "I'm already rich...maybe not in money, but I'm SO rich in other ways." He took me in his arms and continued with, "I have the most wonderful wife in the world and I have Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. What more could a man want?"
I'm looking forward to Day 9's dare! That is an area that I have really gotten away from. Think I'm going to make sure I welcome my hero home from the war when he comes through the door tonight!
Thank you, Stephanie, for all that you do to help us enrich our marriages!
I need to think outside the box for today's dare. I pretty much have down the "coming home from work" greeting, but it's others that need a lot of work: the phone calls, when he leaves for work in the morning, the kiss before falling off to sleep...
Yesterday's dare of sharing in his success was easier than some; today's dare will require more of me!
Enjoying reading all the comments!
I managed to fit in 7 and 8 yesterday without being too obvious and he got all giggly when he got the 2nd positive part:) I didn't have any trouble tearing up the neg list...what point is there dwelling on that anyway? Todays will challenge me, but I will try. LOVE the story about your aunt...that says it all!
As Always...on the phone...sigh...... :-) but I greeted him on my drive to work this morning with a rah rah you da man cheerleader greeting. Having to communicate via phone means you have to try extra hard with choice of words in texts, or by tone in a call...since there is no physical person in front of you. But!...I will! Thanks for the challenge to keep me doing things "on purpose".
Hugs...
Are you sure you can legally put this much of the book on your blog? I'd be worried about copywrite issues...
i am giving credit completly to the authors..and am trying to put all the meaningful stuff that is helpful here..i hope it wont be a problem..i tried to contact authors and found other blogs that also did this dare and there doesnt seem to be any issues..thanks!
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