I'm 19 days into the Love Dare. Haven't missed a day yet. But I'm already having to dig deep to think of ways to demonstrate love to Karen. Of course, almost any idea can be done more than one time, but who wants to read a blog that talks about doing household chores every day? Not that I am (doing chores everyday, that is) but I suppose I could adopt that plan and then claim it as my recurring Love Dare. Seems a bit lazy to me. But I'm 19 days in, and my imagination is beginning to be stretched.
Today I read a story in Gary Chapman's Love Is a Verb and realized that there is one act of love that can be done everyday and may never get old. It consists of words alone, so those of you who think that only actions count will be disappointed. But I've never subscribed to the theory that words don't count, as expressed in statements such as, "It's only words," or "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." After all, even these disparaging comments about words are delivered with... words! No! Words are powerful and ought to be seen as a useful tool in the middle of a Love Dare.
Consider what the Bible says about the value of words. Proverbs 25:11. "Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken in right circumstances." How priceless would be an ornament consisting of apple-sized chunks of gold ($1500/oz) embedded on a silver holder ($35/oz)? Or perhaps we could ask, "How beautiful would it be?" So are the words you speak "in the right circumstances." Or consider Proverbs 12:25. "Anxiety in a (loved one's) heart weighs it down, but a good word makes it glad." Our tongues hold the power to change anxiety into gladness!
So this is my application for today, and probably for tomorrow as well. Unleash the power of "a good word" or "a word spoken in the right circumstances!" How will God use my words? To bring encouragement? To stir hope? To bring gladness? I'm going to test it and see what happens.
Today I read a story in Gary Chapman's Love Is a Verb and realized that there is one act of love that can be done everyday and may never get old. It consists of words alone, so those of you who think that only actions count will be disappointed. But I've never subscribed to the theory that words don't count, as expressed in statements such as, "It's only words," or "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." After all, even these disparaging comments about words are delivered with... words! No! Words are powerful and ought to be seen as a useful tool in the middle of a Love Dare.
Consider what the Bible says about the value of words. Proverbs 25:11. "Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken in right circumstances." How priceless would be an ornament consisting of apple-sized chunks of gold ($1500/oz) embedded on a silver holder ($35/oz)? Or perhaps we could ask, "How beautiful would it be?" So are the words you speak "in the right circumstances." Or consider Proverbs 12:25. "Anxiety in a (loved one's) heart weighs it down, but a good word makes it glad." Our tongues hold the power to change anxiety into gladness!So this is my application for today, and probably for tomorrow as well. Unleash the power of "a good word" or "a word spoken in the right circumstances!" How will God use my words? To bring encouragement? To stir hope? To bring gladness? I'm going to test it and see what happens.
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