(Day
69)
“For if any Macedonians should come with me
and find you unprepared, we, not to mention you, would be embarrassed.”
2
Corinthians 9:4
Love covers
shame. It has a knack for putting others in a position where they can succeed
and are kept from situations that cause them unease or embarrassment. If you
know your wife or husband is uncomfortable in a certain situation, do your
actions amplify their awkwardness, or do you work to ease their minds? A drop
of thoughtfulness on your part can bring an unnecessary storm of dishonor to
them.
Every husband
and wife knows things about the other that they could use to humiliate them.
Through the years, you will be given many opportunities to parade your spouse’s
problems in front of your friends and relatives. But love calls you to protect
their reputation. A morsel of gossip or
a moment of laughter is not worth the unnecessary pain of humiliation and damage
it can bring to your trust. Unless your spouse is injuring themselves or
others, you need to guard their secrets and their honor.
THIS
WEEK’S DARE
Ask your spouse
to tell you three things that cause him or her irritation. Do so without
attacking them or justifying your behavior. This is from their perspective
only.
v Excerpt from The Love Dare Day by Day: A Year of
Devotions for Couples (2009) by Stephen and Alex Kendrick
· As a result of finishing
The Love Dare (also) by Stephen and
Alex Kendrick (see Mission Accomplished),
regular morning prayer and this devotional (before Bobbi leaves for work) have
had a consistent calming effect on our marriage, which has brought arguments to
a minimum.
I was skeptical about this at first.
Putting God at the beginning of the day has made a remarkable positive change
in my marital union with Bobbi.
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