Day Two--Love is Kind.

Do not let kindness and truth leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good repute in the sight of God and man. --Proverbs 3:3-4

In addition to saying nothing negative to your spouse again today, do at least one unexpected gesture as an act of kindness.

The following is an excerpt from the book that I thought was really interesting and I thought I would share with you! :)

"Kindness" can feel a little generic when you try defining it, much less living it. So let's break kindness down into four basic core ingredients:

• Gentleness. When you're operating from kindness, you're careful how you treat your spouse, never being unnecessarily harsh. You're sensitive. Tender. Even if you need to say hard things, you'll bend over backwards to make your rebuke or challenge as easy to hear as possible. You speak the truth in love.
• Helpfulness. Being kind means you meet the needs of the moment. If it's housework, you get busy. A listening ear? You give it. Kindness graces a wife with the ability to serve her husband without worrying about her rights. Kindness makes a husband curious to discover what his wife needs, then motivates him to be the one who steps up and ensures those needs are met-even if his are put on hold.
• Willingness. Kindness inspires you to be agreeable. Instead of being obstinate, reluctant, or stubborn, you cooperate, you stay flexible. Rather than complaining and making excuses, you look for reasons to compromise and accommodate. A kind husband ends thousands of potential arguments by his willingness to listen first rather than demand his way.
• Initiative. Kindness thinks ahead, then takes the first step. It doesn't sit around waiting to be prompted or coerced before getting off the couch. The kind husband or wife will be the one who greets first, smiles first, serves first, and forgives first. They don't require the other to get his or her act together before showing love. When acting from kindness, you see the need, then make your move. First. 

I realized today, that I really have not been very willing to go out of my way to be "kind" to Zak. Yes, I am nice to him everyday, but by some of the definitions I listed above, I really am lacking in this area. It seems that sometimes we are kinder to strangers than we are to the people we love the most. I really do want to try and make a daily effort to be more "kind" to my husband. Some of the things I did today in an effort to be "kind" were picking up the house a bit before Zak got home, doing some dishes, making one of his favorite meals for dinner and then afterwords let him go do his hobby...work on his truck! Lol. Zak was really happy when he got home today and seemed really happy to see me. He was giving me lots of hugs and kisses and he actually wanted to cuddle with me on the couch for a bit right after he got home...which is unusual for him. :) Zak was very loving today besides what I mentioned already, he rubbed my feet (yay!) and finally got his truck fixed so that I can have my car back!!! (No more sitting at home, all day, every day!!) I don't know whether or not yesterday and today had anything to do with it, but I am very happy with what is going on and can't wait for the next 38 days!