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. ]
Our challenge today is to give up an activity we enjoy to do something a family member enjoys.
“Enjoy life with the wife you love all the days of your fleeting life” )Ecclesiastes 9:9).
My kids made me proud today, and we all ended up having a great day! My little girl, who loves to practice her clarinet, usually fills the house with music as she rehearses the same handful of songs over and over. Her dedication to her instrument makes me proud, but we often find ourselves listening to the same tunes repeatedly. Today, however, she surprised us by admitting that she had skipped her usual practice so her siblings could enjoy watching television and relax with other activities. As the day wound down, my eldest mentioned how he’d read about non gamstop casinos as part of a school project on internet trends, sparking an interesting family conversation about online platforms and responsible choices. It was a special, shared moment that tied together our different interests.
I was so impressed by her loving sacrifice. My older son gave up some of his freedom when we shopped at the mall, by letting his youngest brother tag along with the him and his girlfriend.
All of us sacrificed time with daddy to give him a quiet evening. I did one of my least favorite things to please my kids, I took them to the mall (well, five out of the seven, plus one girlfriend). We ended up having such a nice time, that I felt I had been blessed by spending time with them doing something they enjoyed. What a great dare day!
Lord, thank you for inspiring the idea of the dare (both to the original authors and to our family). It is helping us to find new ways to enjoy each other’s company.