So, remember when I told you that God had called me to do this?
Well - he hasn't let me off the hook. And he faithfully provided not one but THREE friends to be my accountability partners.....So, I have a lot of people making sure I make it through this challenge.
Now let me go ahead and just confess. I should be on about day 11.....well, I'm not. I'm on day 2.
I did days 1 and 2 with out TOO awful much trouble and then fell right off the wagon for the rest of the week. I am doing my best to blame it on the business of my life-- and that is true -- I am busy -VERY busy. But, God doesn't want my excuses - he wants my obedience so I'm at it again.
What I am finding though in just days 1 and 2 is that I have big character flaws.
I don't really claim to be an optimist.....but I didn't realize how negative I am a lot of the time. Day One's challenge is to be patient and not say anything negative to my husband and if I can't say something positive then DON'T SAY ANYTHING AT ALL -- as Mama always said.
Well - I'm here to tell ya'll that I'm (apparently) pretty negative and I'm also not very good at keeping my mouth shut. And I KNOW that this is God working on my character. I believe that one way God shows us what he wants us to work on is through the themes in our lives. And can I tell ya'll that not only am I working on keeping my mouth shut in my marriage with this Love Dare but also last week in my bible study -- the WHOLE CHAPTER was on Taming My Tongue!
To say that God is trying to teach me to be quiet is an understatement. This is very difficult for a girl who is known for her ability to talk......I don't mean I'm famous, just that in my family -- I'm known as the one who never stops talking. So much so that when I was younger, my dad would come downstairs to the kitchen where I would (of course) be talking to my Mom, and say "Mindy, can you just be quiet for a while? You've not taken a breath all morning."......
So, I'm getting the drift that God is working on my character in more than a few ways......I've also realized that I cannot do it without him. AND that it is a minute by minute (second by second?!) reliance on HIM. Just this morning I was nursing B at about 5 AM and I was praying and asking God to help me be patient and do "acts of kindness" for my hubs today....that is today's challenge....and then not two hours later, I was complaining at him....and can I tell you that I was complaining about something that was totally inconsequential?!?!
All this changing is hard.....I'm not complaining and being negative of course.....
I'm just saying.
CHANGE! It definately takes God to do it right. I understand the mouth problem. I tend to want the last word. I am trying to lift up my husband. There is enough negatitive outside the home. Bless you.
ReplyDeleteHI MINDY!JUST STOPPED BY TO SAY HI!HOPE YOU ARE HAVING A GREAT DAY!
ReplyDeleteIt must be marriage week in blogland. Reading a lot about it everywhere. Heidi over at Moms, Ministry, and More is doing a series on sex. Gracious. I've got some growing to do in many areas of my marriage to my man. My mouth is always in motion...always. I want the gentle and quiet spirit of a woman that Paul describes. If I'm not intentional in my efforts, I fail everytime.
ReplyDeleteHope all is well, Mindy. I'm having a bit of a downer this week.
peace~elaine