Day 2: Love is Kind

"In addition to saying nothing negative to your spouse again today, do at least one unexpected gesture as an act of kindness."


Jay is gone from early in the morning until late in the evening most days. I decided that I would make dinner and bring it to him at the building this evening. Unexpected? Not really. I mean he doesn't expect me to drive to Slidell to bring him dinner, but I let him know I'd be coming. It's what I can do today, and I might stop on my way and pick up his favorite dessert. That and try to catch up the mountain of laundry that is taking over the house. Actually, caught up laundry might be more unexpected than a hot meal. It's a toss-up.


"Kindness is love in action. If patience is how love reacts in order to minimize a negative circumstance, kindness is how love acts to maximize a positive circumstance."


"Love makes you kind. And kindness makes you likeable. When you're kind, people want to be around you. They see you as being good to them and good for them."


Truly, Jay is both patient and kind. It takes a lot to get him riled up, while my fuse tends to be pretty short. And his compassion makes him a very kind man. Ugh. I guess that's why I am doing the dare, not him.


"So let's break kindness down into four basic core ingredients:

1. Gentleness: When you're operating from kindness, you're careful how you treat your spouse, never being unnecessarily harsh. Even if you need to say hard things, you'll bend over backwards to make your rebuke or challenge as easy to hear as possible.

2. Helpfulness: Being kind means you meet the needs of the moment. If it's housework, you get busy...

(okay, my toes are already sore)

3. Willingness: Kindness inspires you to be agreeable. Instead of being obstinate, reluctant, or stubborn, you cooperate, you stay flexible. Rather than making excuses, you look for reasons to compromise and accommodate.

4. Initiative: Kindness thinks ahead, then takes the first step. It doesn't sit around waiting to be prompted or coerced before getting off the couch."


Well, alrighty then. It looks like I have some work to do. Wouldn't you know it, I can't even get through day two without a laundry list of things to work on. Speaking of laundry, it's time to "reboot."


Dear God, my heart's desire is to be the woman, the wife, the mother and friend you've created me to be. Teach me to be gentle and helpful and willing and to take the initiative to make the first move in demonstrating kindness toward Jay and our family. Mold me into the kind of woman in Proverbs who "opens her mouth in wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue." And feel free to shut it when I don't take the hint. In Jesus' name, Amen.