The Love Dare, Day 7: Love Believes the Best
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Man, listen. When you’re doing something like The Love Dare and you’re doing it publicly, not only are you asking Jesus to snatch your wig daily, you’re also asking for readers to do the same. And y’all are doing it. And I appreciate you! Yesterday, for Love Is Not Irritable, I used a pic of an irritated Chris Brown holding up his infamous dukes as the cover photo for the post while also claiming I was putting away my snark. One of you lovelies snatched my wig for that and pointed out the hypocrisy. I was just seeing if y’all were really with me and had my back! Not really, though. I just messed up. But the lovely thing is, you CAN’T do something like this without accountability. Again, the Dare is for married couples, so they have each other (generally speaking) to be accountable to. But I am so blessed to have accountability partners literally all over the world (this statement is PRIMED for snark, but I’m not going to fall into my own trap :-D) I really cannot express how vital you all are to my growth and how much you caring enough to keep me accountable means to me. Your private messages and emails keep me going! And if you feel comfortable, I’d love for you to share publicly in the comments so that you all can learn from each other, as well! Let’s keep it rolling to Day 7.
Day 7: Love Believes the Best
Today’s Scripture: [Love] believes all things, hopes all things –1 Corinthians 13:7.
Today’s Lesson: When you don’t like someone, it’s easy to interpret every single thing they do as ill-willed and hateful. Likely, that is just a projection of your own feelings toward that person and it is most definitely not love. Love does not jump to conclusions. Love is not easily offended. Instead, as The Love Dare authors explain, love “chooses to believe the best about people. It gives them the benefit of the doubt. It refuses to fill in the unknowns with negative assumptions. And when our worst hopes are proven to be true, love makes every effort to deal with them and move forward. As much as possible, love focuses on the positive.”
When you make a transition from negative to positive thinking, you can actually focus on the things you like about people — even those who are difficult to be around. As you make a habit of positive thinking, hopefully, you will begin to genuinely love the person, emotionally as well as with your actions. But we must remember that we focus on the positive side of people because it’s what God requires, not because it’s what they deserve. If God dealt us the hand we DESERVED, we’d all be in a world of hurt. Let’s take a moment to thank Him for unmerited favor and mercy.
Today’s Dare: Think of someone you’re having a conflict with and make two lists: one of the person’s positive traits and one of the negative traits and put them away for a later dare. Then pick one positive trait and thank the person for having that trait.
Scriptures I’m Meditating On:
“If there is anything praiseworthy–meditate on these things.” Philippians 4:8
“A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” Proverbs 17:22
“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13
Today’s Prayer: Lord, help me to see the best in people, even when it is hard. Help me not to assume the worst in my brothers and sisters when I don’t have all the facts. And even as my worst fears are confirmed, help me to deal lovingly with my brothers, do good to those that curse me and despitefully use me. Just as You continue to see the best in me and grant me brand new mercies every morning even when I fall short, help me to be just as merciful, loving and forgiving to others. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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