Dare Twenty One makes me over halfway through The Love Dare. I was almost celebratory, until I realized I was not eager to finish but instead I’ve been enjoying ever dare that has been thrown my way. Of course some of the dares have been challenging and hard, but life is challenging and hard. For that matter, marriage is challenging and hard. No more than someone would be super excited to be halfway through with their life, or halfway through with their marriage, I am not excited to be halfway through with the dare. Instead, I am reflective.
What really has changed since I have been taking on the dares? My husband has not changed. My situation has not changed. Mostly I have changed; my priorities have changed, and my mentality has changed. Rather than putting marriage as the pot warming on the backburner, I have decided that the “dish of marriage” needs to have some spices added and get to boiling. Of all the dishes that we work on within our life, marriage needs the most time and attention. I do not want to wake up one morning after raising my children, completing my education, and being successful at a job realizing that my marriage was lost because I neglected it. What I’ve learned most through the dare so far is that God is the God of my marriage, and God intends for my marriage to be my second priority after Him. That’s up there!
The twenty first dare was to “be intentional today about making a time to pray and read your Bible”. I decided to begin reading Proverbs each day for a month. Sadly, I haven’t read Proverbs all the way through since I was a teen, but I learned so much when I did read it that I’d like to do it again. In addition, I’ve begun to really make a point in praying for James each day. He lets me know a few things he struggles with in his day, and I want to lift them up to God. I also pray for his heart for the Lord. What could be better for a husband than to draw closer to God? God’s the best at pulling us to himself in love.
This dare is really a reminder about how God is the top priority for life. As the title holder as the number one priority, time spent with God each day is a must. More important than food, water, or even air, God is that important! I desire to have such a hunger and thirst after Him that I cannot function in my day without filling up on his word and dousing my life in prayer. I can do all things through God who strengthens me, and I can do nothing without Him. In effect, the dare is asking me to feed myself, to breathe in air, because that is how fundamental a relationship with God is.
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