Family Love Dare Day 39: Love Endures

[Editor’s note: The author explains her family’s Lenten commitment to take the Love Dare here . Regular updates will be posted all through Lent. Click here to catch up on previous posts. Due to CE staff scheduling, we will not be able to keep up with these posts daily, but we will make sure they are all posted, even though it means they run past Lent. ]

Write a letter of commitment to your family members.

“Love never fails” (1 Corinthians 13:8).

Today’s dare was perfectly timed. My husband received some very bad news — life altering news — and took it hard. He was inconsolable and then he became angry, sad and despondent. Every time I tried to encourage or support him, he responded in anger. I tried to be loving and he was harsh with me. Today’s dare seemed to take superhuman strength for me, and so, filled with (indeed) supernatural grace, I proceeded to write my darling husband a letter.

I prayed about my feelings and what I wanted to say before I wrote anything down. I went to Confession and talked to my priest about the hurt I was feeling and my anger in the situation. And I wrote….

I promised to always be my husband’s partner. I reminded him of how much I loved him and promised to always love him. I offered to be his Simon and to help him carry this cross.

I wish I could say he magically felt better, but all he could muster was a sad smile and a, “Thanks, that means a lot.” This is going to take some time, but we have been through awful things before. With God’s help, we will weather this storm too.

Lord, thank you for giving me the grace to further commit myself to this family, even when my own instinct is to withdraw. Help us all to support each other through the ups and downs of family life, and remind us constantly that love is a decision…one we get to make everyday.

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