So first you need to read today's reading from The Love Dare book. If you don't have the book you can read Day 1 here on the KLOVE blog. Go now... read it before going any further.
So if you haven't realized it before, this book is written for husband and wife relationships, but is can easily be applied to family relationships too. This is going to be hard and is going to take work, but it will all be worth the journey. There will be lots of blessings along the way and in the end you will be so in love with your family. You will want to spend your time playing with them and loving them.
Patience is so hard and one of those things that you just never want to pray for. It is VERY hard if you are not already a pretty patient person. This is something that I have struggled with over the years and I am still not what you would consider "a very patient person." I want things done quickly and efficiently so we can move on to the next thing. This can be frustrating to me when that doesn't happen... which is much more frequently than I would prefer. When I get frustrated, I get impatient and then my face gets a pretty ugly look about it. It does cause me to be angry, snappy and pretty foolish with my words and actions. Yep... anger doesn't get it done faster or make it all better, it just causes more damage to those around me.
Be slow to anger... That seems to be my mantra on most days. Some days I have to repeat it over and over again. The bible is full of verses that talk about how God is "slow to anger", and there is one that is just for me too! Proverbs 14:29 is a pretty frequently recited and remembered verse for me - "He who is slow to anger has great understanding, But he who is quick-tempered exalts folly."
I can tell you that when I put myself on the receiving end, I want people to be patient with me. I LOVE it when people are patient with me. When they aren't it just gets me all riled up and ready to say "Game on." After 20.5 years of marriage it still surprises me when I screw up royally, and I am expecting my husband to go off the deep end and really give it to me. He doesn't! He is VERY patient with me and I appreciate that so much. Even when I keep making the same mistakes over and over again. How much more would my whole family love to have that from me too? How much more could they actually learn from their mistakes if I am patient with them and calmly recognize that they screwed up? Without throwing it in their face, without giving them the 20 minute very loud lecture?
A wise person is a patient person. A foolish person is impatient and angry. I want to be a wise person... that is something that I ask God for regularly. Do you want to know where you can find the perfect example of a wise person? Read the book of Proverbs! It clearly defines the wise person versus the foolish person. Did you know there are 31 chapters in Proverbs? It is the perfect daily reading, and after all these years I still am learning new things by reading a chapter each day.
Today's dare... Demonstrate patience and say nothing negative to any member of your family - AT ALL!!! It is not going to be easy for some of us. If you find yourself in that moment when you are ready to let loose or even let it slip - keep it closed and say nothing at all. It IS better to hold your tongue than to say something that you will regret later. You know the saying... if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. Something else you can pray throughout the day is "Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth ; Keep watch over the door of my lips," found in Psalm 141:3. It helps me to pray it often throughout the day. Even when I am tempted - I say under my breath, "Lord Jesus, set a guard over my mouth and watch over the door of my lips."
You can do this!!! Say aloud... I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me... Phillipians 4:13.
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