Rude

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

I've always loved this Bible verse. I'm typically a morning person, but I try to be aware that others are not and wake them (namely my children) with gentleness and quiet voices.

Today's love dare is based on the "Love is not rude" part of Corinthians 13. The reading points out that we treat our spouses, the people important to us, at times worse than we treat total strangers. We should remember above all that our partners are more important, more valuable, to be more respected than those we meet in the grocery store, or at work. I think the tendency is to 'wear the mask' around strangers. Put on the happy face, never show your true self, but when the mask comes off and the guard comes down, are you still the same person, or someone totally different? Are you still someone people want to be around? Or, are you like the woman described in Proverbs 25:24 "Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarelsome wife".

One thing I always try to keep in mind, besides the motherly advice of 'if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all', is "let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouth". Now, does that mean I never tease or joke or am sarcastic. No, but I never do it maliciously, and I always try to imagine myself on the receiving end of what I say. For several years I had a very biting tone of voice that I would occasionally use, but it seems that I haven't had that problem now for several months. I think it's mainly due to environmental factors. If, after I've said something, I think I've been harsh, rude, or offensive, I'll usually apologize. Especially to my children or my partner. Tone of voice is something I'm hyper aware of these days.

So, the 'assignment' for this dare is to ask your spouse what things you do that cause your spouse to be irritated or uncomfortable, and you're not supposed to react, but just take the facts. EEK. That's a toughie.