Day 3...

This Love Dare challenge is more difficult than I thought. It is really hard to be intentional about being kind and noticing when you're not. I think it has brought to the surface a lot of things that I took for granted and made me realize how blessed I am by being married to Dana. He is already doing almost everything the book has been challenging me to do, and he is not even reading the chapters. It is natural to him.

Now that doesn't mean he's perfect... If anything, it demonstrates that a marriage isn't about being perfect, it's about being intentional in how we relate to our spouse. We have to PUT ON the marriage just as we decide what to wear everyday and how we have to PUT ON our clothes... We have to PUT ON intentional effort to make our marriages stronger.

Day 3 was to do something that showed how much you cared for your spouse by buying them something that spoke your love to them...

Now this is my part of "Buying" something for Dana... We decided to take the girls to Johnson Bayou to swim in the ocean, but there was still bacterial warning signs, so we didn't swim, but he did borrow his boss's boat and we went boating all day on Big Lake... the girls got to go crabbing and I actually have pictures of the day, but they are on Ashton's camera which she took with her to camp... So maybe I'll post them when she gets back.

Back to the buying thing... Dana wanted to buy a Rod and Reel to take out with him, and I let him... Does that count? He really wanted it, and I really wanted him to have it, so he bought it. And then, he took me out to eat that night for seafood and that is what I wanted so we can call day three done...

Yesterday the girls left for camp after church and the college department had a picnic at the civic center... It was a beautiful day and you never know who'll you'll meet at the park. Do you notice people who are different than you? We were making our sandwiches and this man walked by that appeared to be homeless and Miriam asked him if he'd like a sandwich... He didn't take her up on the offer, but as I was walking toward the group from the other side, and he stopped me and said to tell the group "thank you" for him that today was payday and he didn't need anything... I asked him again to eat with us, but he declined... But I watched him for a little while as he went farther down the sidewalk. He looked so sad... He moved on and the moment passed, but as we were picking things up, another man came by and said that someone had told him he could get a sandwich from us. We immediately fixed him something to eat and gave him a couple of our waters, and he thanked us with "Shalom". He said he was Jewish, that he owned the hotel across the road, and that we could rent a room from him. Then he went over to one of the trees and sat down to eat his sandwich. I watched him too, and he made the sign of the cross before he ate so I assumed he had been introduced to Jesus Christ, since that is what the cross sign represents... We can't know what a person's spiritual condition is... Even if they say one thing and do something else, that still doesn't give us an inclining of how they stand spiritually... But the Bible does say that we are known by our fruit... We will reap what we sow, and if we are bearing fruit, then our life will be an example to others. We don't have to tell others what we believe, it will be obvious in our actions and our life...

Since Day 4 was actually on Sunday, and I didn't do much except siesta after the picnic, so I will do Day 4's challenge today... I've already started but will share with you the results tomorrow...

I ask for you to pray for me, because as I mentioned on the first day, I was also going to apply this concept to my coworkers, clients and agencies... I need help where this is concerned. Not everyone I encounter, but some of them are starting to weigh on my nerves and I need help in my attitude adjustment... I can get a little judgmental and condescending and I don't want to be that way. HELP!!!

Press on and conquer...
Lea Anne