Daring to Love

Several Christmases ago, before I was married, my brother came to visit me in upstate New York from Raleigh (North Carolina, which is in the southern part of the U.S., for my non-American readers). Having been born in Cameroon and never having endured a snowy winter, he was freezing the entire time.

N and I took him skiing/snowboarding on one of those days.

Let's just say he wasn't a happy camper.

Anyway, he gave both N and me a copy of The Love Dare by Alex and Stephen Kendrick, as well as the movie that inspired it, "Fireproof."

 (They were also behind the movie "Facing the Giants," for you American football buffs out there.)

We watched the movie, and like millions of people all around the world, we were touched and inspired to love one another better, with our whole hearts.

But life being what it is, the books sat on our shelves for the past few years, untouched.

With the new year, we decided to crack open those books and both of us committed to completing it this year. At first, we had decided to do it day-to-day together, reading each day's entry aloud, but real life quickly altered our expectations. So we're each going at it at our own pace, which is working out.

You guys. If you're married, especially if you're past the rose-tinted-honeymoon stage, this is a great guide to blessing your marriage. Not only does it have daily, practical ideas for showing love to your spouse, but even in just the few days that I have been committed to it, I'm loving being humbled by what I'm learning (or re-learning) about my very human self.

I'm glad we waited until now, in our fifth year of marriage, almost in our third year of being parents together, to do this. We undoubtedly still love each other; that's a given. It's a promise we made to one another, to love, but if we're all being honest, we know that daily life together with another person brings its ups and downs.

We need the frequent reminder to love selflessly.

For now, in this season, The Love Dare is my reminder, a daily re-commitment to the promises I made to N on that early August day in the Adirondacks four and a half years ago.

This has been another reminder.

"'Ohana' means 'family.' And 'family' means nobody gets left behind."

Sniff. Love that movie.

Oh, where were we?

Right.

If you're not married, keep this book in mind for when you are. Until then get a copy for people in your life who are married: your sister, dad, best friend.

You can order the book from their website. It's also available on Amazon and even at Walmart.

*I've written this post entirely of my own volition. Alex and Stephen Kendrick have no idea who I am.