Day 5 - Love is Not Rude

Okay, Day 4 challenge was a bit hard because it was Saturday. I will take this dare tomorrow.

Day 5 - Love is Not Rude
The Love Dare

He who blesses his friends with a loud voice early in the morning, it will be reckoned a curse to him. ~Proverbs 27:14

To be rude is to act unbecoming, embarrassing or irritating...foul mouth, poor table manners or a habit of making sarcastic quips (ouch). However you look at it, no one enjoys being around a rude person.

If I desire to love him, I will purposefully avoid things that frustrate him or cause him discomfort.

The bottom line is that genuine love minds its manners.

"I value you enough to exercise some self-control around you. I want to be a person who's a pleasure to be with."

For the most part, the etiquette you use at home is much different than the kind you employ with friends, or even with total strangers. You may be barking or pouting around the house, but if the front door chimes, you open it all smiling and kind. Yet if you dare to love, you'll also want to give your best to your own.

Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife. ~Proverbs 25:24

It is well with the man who is gracious. ~Psalm 112:5

2 reasons people are rude: ignorance and selfishness

Test yourself:
*How does your spouse feel about the way you speak and act around them?
*How does your behavior affect your mate's sense of worth and self-esteem?
*Would your husband say you're a blessing, or that you're condescending and embarrassing?

If you're thinking that your spouse - not you - is the one who needs work in this area, you're likely suffering from a bad case of ignorance, with a secondary condition of selfishness.

Here are 3 guiding principles when it comes to practicing etiquette in your marriage:

1. Guard the Golden Rule. Treat your mate the same way you want to be treated (see Luke 6:31)
2. No double standards. Be as considerate to your spouse as you are to strangers and coworkers.
3. Honor requests. Consider what your spouse already asked you to do nor not do. If in doubt, then ask.

TODAY'S DARE

ASK YOUR SPOUSE TO TELL YOU THREE THINGS THAT CAUSE THEM TO BE UNCOMFORTABLE OR IRRITATED WITH YOU. YOU MUST DO SO WITHOUT ATTACKING THEM OR JUSTIFYING YOUR BEHAVIOR. THIS IS FROM THEIR PERSPECTIVE ONLY.