Day 7: Love Is Not Selfish
Thanks for Meeting Me in The Laundry Room. If you don't yet know about this challenge, I encourage you to step back to this blog entry and then move forward. My laundry room is my spiritual closet, where I get down to the heart of matters with God and where I have my best conversations with Him. If you would like to add a quick link to your blog, the button to "Meet Me In The Laundry Room" is to the right of this post. If you would like to receive a daily e-mail linking to the current days newest post, I will add you to my e-mail list if you will simply request to be added.Selfish? Whose selfish? Not me! Seriously, I never think of myself as selfish do you? I think of myself as selfless and giving and compassionate, when it comes to other people besides my husband. So, let's put aside the feelings of "I do it all!" This is a hard topic for me when it comes to my marriage because I always feel like I am the giving one but am I really? If there is a flip side to love, it is being selfish. Have you ever heard the saying "If you point one finger, you have 3 more pointing back."? It's true, if you can find one reason in your marriage to a call your husband selfish, I bet he can find 3 more reasons to call you selfish.
We are born selfish, it is in our very nature to want what we want, when we want it. Yes, we can be patient and wait but ultimately if we don't get what we want, we can start to be bitter about it. When are expectations are not met, we are unhappy about it. Has there ever been a time when you have gone out of your way to do something nice for your husband and expect something in return? If so, it was for selfish reasons that the "doing" took place.
Challenge: Today make, do or buy something for your husband that is free of strings attached. Something that is for him only, that says I was thinking of you today.
“Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves”(Philippians 2:3).
Challenge: Today make, do or buy something for your husband that is free of strings attached. Something that is for him only, that says I was thinking of you today.
When you are thinking about your husband today, think about these things; do you want what's best for him? Do you want him to feel loved by you? Do you have his best interest at heart?
What is it that you can sacrifice for your husband?
What is it that you can sacrifice for your husband?
Okay, so seriously, you and I are completely thinking the same things... my Bible is open to that exact verse in Philippians, and I am preparing a post on 'sacrificial submission'. I would completely categorize myself as a really selfish person, if I am to be honest, and God is definitely opening my eyes to ways that I need to be more sacrificial. (The list is terribly long...) Thanks for the words today~ I want to be a wife who practices unconditional agape love!
ReplyDeleteIf I had kept up with you on these I would have had an easier time a week ago. Golly. Between this post on selfishness and sacrificial submission via Mandy^... I NEVER EVER get to go out with just 'the girls'. Mostly it's my choice because I'd rather stay home if my husband's going to be home. Wouldn't you know it the girls were planning on going out dancing and I got the 'ok' to go. The DAY before I was going to get to hang out and have fun? Husband vetos. Talk about tension. I finally submitted *unhappily* because I figured it wasn't worth hurting the marriage over. But I wished he'd thought of that point. Anyway.
ReplyDeleteSo this facet of loving is fresh on my mind, and now with a more positive spin on it. Thanks!
I'm a bit behind but playing catch up. I don't really feel that this was a 'challenge' for me. I feel like I do this regularly. But I'm praying about it and want to make sure I'm not just blinded by something. But I recognize regularly that he busts it every day so that I can stay home raising our kids. I try extra hard not to take advantage of that because I realize what a big blessing it is.
ReplyDelete