Day 3 Dare: Selflessness

Second post in one day. Whew! Okay, Day 3 Dare: Don’t be selfish! (They’re not getting any easier, are they?)

Whatever you put your time, energy, and money into will become more important to you. It’s hard to care for something you are not investing in. Along with restraining from negative comments and being kind, buy/make your spouse something that says, ‘I was thinking of you today.’

If you’ve been reading my last two posts, you know I’m attempting the KLOVE Love Dare, a challenge to improve your relationships (specifically with your spouse) between now and Valentine’s Day. I encourage you to join me! Visit the KLOVE blog for each day’s dare background information.

Here’s a mini-excerpt from Day 3′s dare:

Love is never satisfied except in the welfare of others. You can’t be acting out of real love and selfishness at the same time. Choosing to love your mate will cause you to say ‘no’ to what you want so you can say ‘yes’ to what they need. That’s putting the happiness of your partner above your own. It doesn’t mean you can never experience happiness, but you don’t negate the happiness of your spouse so you can enjoy it yourself.

Love also leads to inner joy. When you prioritize the well-being of your mate, there is a resulting fulfillment that cannot be duplicated by selfish actions. This is a benefit that God created and reserves for those who genuinely demonstrate love. The truth is, when you relinquish your rights for the sake of your mate, you get a chance to lose yourself to the greater purpose of marriage.

If you find it hard to sacrifice your own desires to benefit your spouse, then you may have a deeper problem with selfishness than you want to admit.

Ask yourself these questions:

• Do I truly want what’s best for my husband or wife?
• Do I want them to feel loved by me?
• Do they believe I have their best interests in mind?
• Do they see me as looking out for myself first?

What do you think? Do you exhibit these qualities with your spouse already? Or, like me, do you find yourself wondering when this philosophy snuck into hiding? Hmmm….

Let me know how your challenge is going. Easy? Hard? Eye-opening?

Image credit: Joe Madonna

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