[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.]
Change Something about Yourself that Irritates Others
“He who blesses his friend with a loud voice early in the morning, it will be reckoned a curse to him.” Proverbs 27:14
This dare was a really hard one for me personally. We really had to adapt the original dare which involved actively asking your family member/spouse what irritated them about you. It was clear to us that this would quickly deteriorate into a list of criticisms about each other. In order to make the most of this dare, we are combining it with day six, which involves looking at what in yourself bothers your family members.
Two days is not a long time to work on such a big issue. I think it will take us years to learn to undo some of our patterns. After all, isn’t that what siblings do best? Family members are so good at knowing each other’s weak spots and going straight in for the kill. I think this is one of the biggest reasons for family discord.
I have to say here, that I am very proud of my 16-year-old son today. His little sister and I have been very sick and my boy is not always the most helpful in a difficult situation. Today, working his dare, he stepped up. He came home an unloaded the dishwasher (which I had requested), then stacked it (which I had not)! He took the puppy out and maintained a fairly positive attitude all day long. May God bless his efforts and those of the whole family.
My husband was really great today too. He has a demanding job and always works late, but knowing how sick we were, he brought work home instead of staying late. He stopped and got us medicine and even offered to get dinner (I already had it in the oven, but it was a sweet offer). If nothing else, the dare is helping us to think of the needs of our family members a little more quickly than we used to.
Lord, bless the efforts of our family in this dare. Draw us closer to each other and to you.
