Love Dare Day 26

Take time to pray through your areas of wrongdoing. Ask for God's forgiveness, then humble yourself enough to admit them to your spouse. Do it sincerely and truthfully. Ask your spouse for forgiveness as well. No matter how they respond, make sure you cover your responsibility in love. Even if they respond with criticism, accept it, by receiving it as counsel.



Feel free to post your thoughts/experiences on this dare

Today will be hard, but as you seek God's strength and wisdom, you will be able to get through it. This day could be a milestone in your marriage if you allow it to be. So resolve to focus on what the Lord may be saying to you and purpose to follow his leading.

Today is about personal responsibility. It's something we all agree that others should have, but struggle to maintain it ourselves. Over the past few decades there has been a decline in personal responsibility. More and more people seem less likely to acknowledge their own mistakes. We see it in politics, businesses, and in celebrity headlines.

We tend to believe our views are correct, or at least more correct than our mates. And we do not believe that anyone, given our same set of circumstances, would act must differently than we have. As far as we are concerned, we're doing the best we can. And our spouse ought to be glad we are as good to them as we are.

But love does not pass blame or justify selfish motives. Love is not nearly concerned with it's own performance as with other's needs. When love takes responsibility for its actions, its not to prove how noble you've been, but rather to admit how much further you have to go.

Love does not make excuses, it keeps working to make a difference - in you and your marriage.

That is why the next time you are in an argument with your spouse, stop and see if there is something worth listening to in what your mate is saying. What might happen in your relationship if instead of passing the blame you first admitted your own wrongs?

Love is responsible and willing to admit and correct its faults and errors up front. Are you taking responsibility for this person you chose for yourself as the love of your life? How deliberate are you about making sure your spouse's needs are met? Or are you only concerned with your spouse fulfilling yours? Love calls us to take responsibility for our partner in marriage. To love, honor and cherish them.

A real heart of repentance may take a while to grow in you. Pride is very resistant to responsibility, but humility and honesty before God and your spouse are crucial for a healthy relationship.

This does not mean that you are always wrong and your spouse is right. But that if there is something that's not right between you and God, or you and your spouse, then that should be first priority.

Confess your areas of sin first. Then you'll be on better grounds to work things out with your spouse. (1 John 1:18-19)

Can your spouse say that you have wronged or wounded them in any way and never made it right? Part of taking responsibility is admitting you have failed and ask for forgiveness.

The problem is, to do it sincerely you must swallow your pride and seek forgiveness regardless of how your spouse responds. They should forgive you, but your responsibility does not lie with their decision. Admitting your mistakes is YOUR responsibility. If they have wronged you, leave it for them to deal with another time.