Pondering the Love Dare

Sometimes I feel like I am very different from most men.   I have been learning, however, that my reactions and feelings are within normal parameters.  There is an area, however, that I seem to be different.

For Christmas, my beautiful bride bought me a book called 'the love dare.  The book is taken from the movie Fireproof, in which the husband in a troubled marriage heading towards divorce, takes a 'love dare' from his father, and starts to show his wife he loves her.

I am all about improving my marriage.  To me, marriage is scared and vastly important, and I try( most days) to be a better husband.  As my bride will tell you, I don't always succeed.  Our marriage is far from perfect.  

My point is, though, that the book wasn't written for me.  It was written to get people who are self-centred to stop being so.  For example, some of the dares are 'do one act of unexpected kindness' or 'contact your spouse during the day, just to see how they're doing' 

I have been doing these things for years!  

You see, I am not typically a selfish person.  If anything, I need to be more selfish (I tend to put everyone above myself, which isn't good)  So far, the dares have not substantially changed the way in which I interact with my bride, nor  have they been challenging.  The book is good, however.  I'm going to finish it.

It's like Rick Warren's book, The Purpose Driven Life".  It states, "Your created for a purpose.  There is a reason you're here.  God has something he wants you to do."  I'm like, yea, so where's the news.  I've known that since I was five.  My life isn't about me.  It's about Him.  I couldn't finish the book, because it was so painfully obvious.  

I am not perfect by any stretch or definition.  I have problems with self-esteem and self-confidence.  I am prone to read more into situations than I probably should.  I have a lazy streak (I'm blogging instead of doing laundry.)  I'm a procrastinator (I'll start on the laundry when I finish this blog).  I have many other weaknesses and failures, just like everyone else.  

I don't, however, struggle from thinking the world revolves around me.  And from the reaction of most people who read "The Purpose Driven Life" and the "Love Dare", I must be in the minority.

It's hard for me to believe that most of society is self-centred.