Well, God has done amazing things in my life and in the life of my family. I feel an urging and an obligation to encourage others crying out to God for help during this Love Dare process. Though I finished the first dare and am working my way through the year long Love Dare book, I still cry out to God each day (several times a day) to continue to change me into the woman he has called me to be. I thought it might help even one person if I shared some of the lessons I learned while going through this. Some felt great. Some made me want to quit and some made me feel so very ugly and sin-filled. But I guess that's the point. When you put precious metals into a fire to purify, there is heat, there is purging and then what emerges is something more precious, more rare and more beautiful. God brought this challenge into my life to purge what needed to be. I had to willingly go through the fire however. I hope you will take the precious gift of free will that our Father has given to each of us and chose to let Him purge you through this process.

Here's some things I learned along the way:

1. Tell someone you are doing it. Ask them to pray for you and reach out to them when you want to quit~ BECAUSE I WANTED TO!!!! several times :)

2. Go into the book asking God to change YOU. MEAN it!!! I began truly believing that Eddie was the one who needed to change, but amazing things happened when I looked at the log in my own eye as Luke tells us.

3. Reach out to your heavenly Father every single day. Pray, Cry. Pour out your heart.

4. Have faith. Jesus rebuked his disciples in Matthew for not having faith. Have faith that God loves you and has a plan for your life. Put your plans aside and put your life in HIs hands. Have faith that HE has wonderful things in store for you.

5. Never stop. Long after day 40, seek God's face each and every day. The book shouldn't end our process. It did start me on a journey to spend time with God each morning.

6. Pray for your significant other. I began this by asking God to change Eddie. I learned to pray that God would draw Eddie closer to Him. I prayed for things I saw him struggling with knowing that God loves him even more than I do and wants wonderful things for him. I learned to be a "suitable helper" for Eddie instead of a second mother to him acting like he needed me to mold him and discipline him like I do to our kids. I learned to respect the husband God gave me and to treat him as such.

I don't know any of you out there, but I will pray for you. I know God knows you and loves each and every one of you. I will pray that God does amazing things in each one of your lives.