The Love Dare - Day 6

Be warned!  This Love Dare commitment might lead you to places you would never have gone!  Take a look at this picture.  This is not me!  Well, it is me, but it's not the natural me.  I'm not a dog lover.  (Sorry if I disappoint you who are.)  But tonight, Karen asked, "Would you like to go with me when I take Tiki for a walk?"  Tiki is the fluffy little dog in the picture.  She belongs to our friend Julie.  Karen was Tiki-sitting tonight, and her question about me going along on a walk caught me by surprise.  My reply went something like, "Uhhhhhh....... (insert rapid series of thoughts here about how far this Love Dare requires me to go) ......, yes?"

I must have sounded unconvincing, because Karen immediately said, "You're not doing this just for the Love Dare, are you?"  I could have answered, "Yes, why else would I agree to walk a dog!"  But wisdom ruled, and I chose instead to say, "Would it matter if I was doing it just for the Love Dare?"  Of course, it wouldn't, because the whole point of the Love Dare is to put ourselves into situations where we are deliberately refusing to be self-centered and are deliberately choosing to demonstrate love for somebody else.  Philippians 2:3 urges us to "regard one another as more important than yourselves."  So, in this case, I set aside my aversion to walking dogs and said, 'yes' because it would be an act of love for Karen.  So we walked the dog together!

The walk was not without its pleasant moments (and humor).  So, did I enjoy it?  Let's just say I did it, and in the process I also fulfilled the Day 6 dare from The Love Dare.  "Choose today to react to tough situations in your marriage in loving ways instead of with irritation."  You might think I'm being a bit melodramatic in calling this a 'tough situation,' but give me a break!  I did a good thing, and it was for somebody else.  I call that success!