After one faltering start, I (with over 400 other women at Being Mrs V – a facebook group) are beginning the Love Dares again. The Love Dares are targeted towards relationships, specifically romantic ones I think. However, they can be directed at any relational situation.
Today, Monday 17th May, 2010 is Day 1 and this is the verse below:
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Ephesians 4:2
The moderator of the Love Dares (LDs) for this group came up with a translation of this verse which I broke into 7 actions:
- Be totally, absolutely not arrogant or assertive but,
- always reflective, expressive and offering in deference and submission;
- Do not be harsh, stern or violent;
- Deal with pains and trials calmly and without complaint;
- Display forbearance under provocation or strain;
- Be steadfast despite opposition, difficulty or adversity;
- Let the attitude expressed toward others in our outward behaviour be one of unrestricted loyalty and unwavering commitment to what best serves another.
And I thought Wow! That is a tall order.
*By the way, the Being Mrs V group is closed to the public for the duration of the 40 days of the LDs. If you would like to participate you still can. Just request an invite to the group.*
So that is what I have to take into consideration as I commit to doing the LDs (now I see why they are called Dares). Funny, I did not feel this overwhelming sense of. . . of well, being overwhelmed when I first attempted the Dare. Could that be why I did not complete it?
Seriously though, do you think adopting this attitude, not just towards your partner/spouse but towards people in general is possible? And would it make any difference at all to such relationships? Please let me know your opinion; drop a comment 🙂
the reservoir 
reading that list of 7 tangibles,I thought to myself, wow, that would be a moment by moment, situation by situation, challenge..better call in the accountability partners on that one. 🙂 Which is what you’ve done by doing this with 400 others. .is it possible? Yes! Long term, ONLY if Christ himself was energizing you. It isa scriptural exhortation, plus as you’re sharing, you do sound like you’re aware of your inability to pull this off on your own strength, so you’re in a perfect place spiritually. Keep us posted!
I just read through that list again, this time in the cold, sober daylight (I now know why it is called ‘sober’ 🙂 ) and I am asking myself just what I have committed to? Because that list goes against ‘most everything popular culture teaches; it really is counter-culture. But it is the Word of God and I am depending on HIM to get me through. So I will keep you posted – especially when I trip.
LOL dont feel bad… cuz as I read LD 2 @, i was like ‘NOOOOOOOOO’!!!! And I think it’s a great point that none of this is doable on our own. The kind of love God wants us to give is only gonna happen if He gives us the grace to give it.
Grace…I need to keep reminding myself of that. *Sigh*. It is just that I know right now, I need the LDs even more than dh does because I am stressed and when I am stressed I get nasty. We really don’t need all that nastiness right now in our relationship. So I intend to persevere.