Rudeness – Day 5 Of The Love Dare

Rudeness – Day 5 Of The Love Dare 40 Day Challenge.  Today’s challenge is just that: a big, huge, enormous ego crushing challenge of having to ask my spouse to name three things that I do, that irritate him or make him feel uncomfortable. This is going to be a hard pill to swallow especially if he comes up with things that are part of my personality. Am I strong enough to hear this? Will I show patience and thoughtfulness, and just bite my lip and take it all in? And then most importantly, can I humble myself enough to understand and agree, and then try to make a change? A true test indeed. And especially on a day like today, when I’m struggling with mixed emotions of going in for a procedure on Thursday.  Dear Lord – give me strength.

But anyways, there you have it.  Go ahead and ask your spouse to name three of your flaws today – I dare you 🙂

Day 5 – Love Is Not Rude

He who blesses his friend with a loud voice in the morning, it will be reckoned a curse to him ~ Proverbs 27:14

Ask your spouse to tell you three things that cause him or her to be uncomfortable or irritated with you. You must do so without attacking them or justifying your behavior. This is from their perspective only.

Rudeness – Day 5 Of The Love Dare 40 Day Challenge.  Nothing irritates others as quickly as being rude. Rudeness is an unnecessarily saying or doing things that are unpleasant for another person to be around. To be rude is to act unbecoming, embarrassing, or disrespectful.

When a man is driven by love, he intentionally behaves in a way that’s more pleasant for his wife to be around. If a woman desires to love her husband, she purposely avoids things that frustrate him or cause him discomfort. The bottom line is: genuine love minds its manners. People who practice good etiquette tend to raise the respect level of the environment in people around them.

If you don’t let love motivate you to make some changes in your behavior, you will unnecessarily limit the quality and enjoyment level of your marriage relationship. The more respectful and honorable your behavior, the more attractive and romantically appealing you become to your spouse.

There are two main reasons why people are rude: ignorance and self-centeredness. We as adults know basic etiquette and how to use discretion, but we also display our ignorance when practicing them. We know the rules but can be blind as to how we break them or be too self-centered to care.

Test yourself with these three questions:

1. How does your spouse feel about the way you speak and act around them?
2. How does your behavior affect your mates sense of worth and self-esteem?
3. Would your husband or wife say you’re a blessing, or that you’re condescending and embarrassing?

And here’s some food for thought – If you’re thinking that your spouse, and not you, is the only one who needs work in this area, you’re likely suffering from a diagnosed case of ignorance, with a secondary condition of self-centeredness. Remember love is not rude but lifts you to a higher standard.

Here are three guiding principles when it comes to practicing etiquette in your marriage:

1. Guard the Golden Rule – treat your mate the same way you want to be treated (Luke 6:31)
2. No double standards. Be as considerate to your spouse as you are to strangers, friends, and coworkers.
3. Honor requests. Consider what your husband and wife has already asked you to do or not do. If in doubt … ask