Day 22 - Love is Faithful

I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness. Then you will know the Lord.
—Hosea 2:20

Anyone can adore a person who adores them, or lavishes praise on them, or blesses them continually with gifts, etc. But love is a choice, not a feeling, not an emotion, not a moment. It is an initiated action, not a knee-jerk reaction. That's why Godly love is the greatest, deepest, longest. It is bigger than a bad day. It is deeper than the goosebumps we felt when we were mere kids "in love." It lasts longer than your hairline or her thin waistline.

We shared a lot about this in the marriage series we did at 29:11 in the Fall of 2010. To wrap it up in a short thought, this kind of love is the basis for everything else in a great marriage. When you love faithfully, unconditionally, then your wife is secure in your relationship. She has no need to fear you will ever leave her. She has no need to be insecure around younger women. Even sex is better because people who are totally committed to one another can give themselves without reservation.

So today, examine your "love" for your wife. Look deep down. If you only show love to her on the days she is sweet to you, you're not showing love, you're paying her back for being sweet. If you only show her love when you want something, same thing - it's a payment on credit, hoping she will respond favorably to your request. So today's dare is two-fold.

TODAY’S DARE

1. Choose today to be committed to love your wife even if she has lost most of her interest in receiving it. Say to her today in words similar to these, “I love you. Period. I choose to love you even if you don’t love me in return.”

2. Prepare today for her next bad day. Whatever the cause - stress, kids, job, finances - be looking for it. That's the day she needs your love the most. And it's the day you most need to show it. Even is she's in such a bad mood she cuts you off, still show her love through an understanding, maybe even silent response to her rejection. These days are our greatest opportunity to build a great marriage. But too often, when our wives have a bad day and take it out on us, we react with a knee-jerk and give it right back to them. Not the next time. Decide today and be ready for it!