Love Dare Day 6

Do you ever get irritable?  If I am honest, yes, I do.  Probably more often than I would like to admit.  I get irritable about a lot of things.  And in reality, most of them don't really matter.

Are you ever easily offended?  For me, it really does take a lot for me to get offended.  I always try to remember that sometimes people really do just have a bad day and it could just as easily be me instead of them.

The Bible tells us that love is not easily offended.  And it is quick to forgive.  I know that I can hold onto a grudge.  But love says I need to let it go!!  Regardless, of why I am offended.

To be irritable means "to be near the point of a knife".  Not far from being poked.  People who are irritable are locked, loaded, and ready to overreact.  Wow!  Ready to overreact....  When I think back to some of the more recent times I have overreacted (I know, it's hard to believe I could do that!), I have been sitting on go, waiting for the opportunity to explode.  It starts off as something small.  Then something else gets added.  Then they both grow as I feed them by thinking about them and playing out situations in my head.  By the time Frank walks in the door and does some "little" thing... it isn't little anymore.

But, love doesn't get angry or hurt unless there is a just reason in God's eyes.  Not our own.  Love doesn't base it on what we are feeling.  Minor problems do not yield major reactions with love!!!  How about you?  Are you a "major reactor"?

We become irritable for 2 reasons.  One of which is stress.  And none of us has any of that right?  Stress comes in many forms. Overworking (this means at home too!), overspending, poor nutrition, lack of exercise, ARGUING, ect.  Sometimes, we bring stress on ourselves, and this in itself makes us irritable.  The Word is there to help us manage these stresses.  Most of the time, I try to fix them myself first.  What does this cause?  More stress.  Because I can't fix anything on my own. 

We are to let love lead us in relationships so that we won't be caught up in unnecessary arguments (Col. 3:12-14).  We are to pray about the things that worry us and cause us to be anxious INSTEAD of trying to fix them on our own (Phil. 4:6-7).  

Another thing that causes us to be irritable is selfishness. (There.is.that.word. again!!)  When you're irritable, the heart of the problem is primarily a problem of the heart!  Matt. 12:34 tells us that whatever is in the heart comes out of the mouth!  Man, if I am irritable, then the problem is with me!!!  Not a fun pill to swallow.

Today, my dare was to REACT TO TOUGH CIRCUMSTANCES IN YOUR MARRIAGE IN LOVING WAYS INSTEAD OF WITH IRRITATION.

I knew that I would have several opportunities, seeing as that we were going on a "family outing" today.  Most of my irritation stems from either Frank overreacting at the kids or under-reacting at the kids.  I have the perfect balance... so should he. (J/K)  Lord, help him.  He can't win for loosing!  And, the bottom line is that I won some today and I lost some today.  I find myself more and more thinking about my reactions after the fact.  Which I guess is better than not thinking about them at all, but no where close to where I want to be.

I did choose more today to take  a deep breath before I said something and I didn't always choose to say something.  But when I felt I should, I said it in a nicer way, most of the time.  I only had to apologize a couple of times. ( Gheez, this being honest is not making me look that great!)  But, I am learning just like the rest of you and my PRIORITY is my marriage and making it all that God designed it to be!