Be My Valentine Marriage Challenge Week # 3

It's already week three in our Valentine's Day Marriage Challenge. This week Courtney at Women Living Well has posted the following challenge For us :

"Pursue intimacy and place the intimate needs of your spouse above your own. Give him a foot or back massage, shower together, be creative!"

"Seek to "kiss him like you mean it" every single day this week! Solomon 5:16 says "His mouth is sweetness itself; he is altogether lovely." Look at your husband through the eyes of his fiance...do you remember those butterflies and your longing for him. Renew that passion. So I challenge you today to not just show your husband you love him but show him that you LIKE him!"

Well, my hubby is away at training for the Marine Corps for another Month. So, I actually decided to change this weeks challenge up a bit for myself ( Since it won't be possible to steal a kiss from Rich over 2,ooo miles away) ;)

Those of you who have been following my blog know that I have a 2011 Reading Challenge Book List ( a list of books I plan to read each month for the 2011 year). The book I read for the month of January was "Crazy Love Overwhelmed By A Relentless God" By Francis Chan. If you have not yet read this book, you MUST! It's a very informative, awakening on God's Love for us, and our love ( as Christians) for the Lord!

Today, I was going over my list of questions to post on my book club blog . As I reviewed each chapter I was brought back to a passage in one particular chapter that reminded me of The Marriage Challenge and love. The Author Francis Chan says that "According to God, we are here to love. Not much else really matters." He goes on to explain that in our society the word LOVE is often misused, overused and worn out! In 1st Corinthians 13: 4-8 The Lord tells us what true love is.

"Love is PATIENT and KIND; love DOES NOT ENVY or BOAST; it is NOT ARROGANT or RUDE. It DOES NOT INSIST ON IT"S OWN WAY; it is NOT IRRITABLE or RESENTFUL; it DOES NOT REJOICE at WRONG DOING, but REJOICES with the TRUTH. Love BEARS ALL THINGS, BELIEVES ALL THINGS, HOPES ALL THINGS, ENDURES ALL THINGS. Love NEVER ENDS... faith, hope and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love."

Francis came up with an exercise for this verse. He said to replace the word LOVE with your name throughout the verse: Example "Loves is patient" and substitute Love for ( your name)

is patient, so for me Sarah is patient... I thought to myself am I?

I did this for every phrase in the verse, I even wrote it out. By the time I was done reading it I felt a little ashamed at myself. I am Not always all of these things. To my husband, family or even my friends. It convicted me! However, it also challenged me to strive to really work on these attributes this week. :) I skype and/or talk to my husband several times a day since he has left. I am really going to try to express my love to him this week by truly living out the character traits of love described in 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8!

I hope you all have a great week, and I look forward to our next challenge from Courtney!

Blessings,

Sarah