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f you are about to get married, a newly wed, or been married twenty-five plus years, Love and War: Finding the Marriage You’ve Dreamed Of is for you. It’s a must read book. My husband and I will be married twenty-five years in June. We’ve beat the odds with having buried two children (statistics say 75%+ marriages end after the death of a child). I won’t say it was easy. We went through some very rough times . . . and still fall back into the hole at times. The authors, John & Stasi Eldredge also hit some lows, even debating a divorce. Their honesty throughout the book was very easy to relate to. There were times I wanted to poke my husband and say “read this”, but in the next paragraph I’d be poked back!
Through out the book, the couple share back and forth, their viewpoints, things they have gone through, their struggles and how they understood and misunderstood each other. It is all centered around God, Scripture and though marriage is not always easy, and sometimes disappointing, it is possible to make it! Below are some of my favorite quotes from it.
Christian couples feel the added pressure to have a model marriage. To be a “witness” to our families and neighbors. Therefore nothing can ever be wrong. We’ve got to present a good face to the world. We feel the pressure to pray together, to have family devotions, and to love going to church. We feel the pressure to be “Christlike” in our marriages – and since none of us are even close to that level of sainthood, we feel a lot of guilt and shame. But we feel compelled to hide all that. Because after all – we are Christians.
. . . the greatest gift you can give to your marriage is for you to develop a real relationship with Jesus Christ. This is the kindest thing you could ever do for your spouse. We are not simply talking about believing in God . . . We’re talking about a relationship where you are finding in God the life and love your soul so desperately needs.
Your spiritual life can’t go anywhere without forgiveness. Marriage can’t go anywhere without forgiveness.
Love and War: Finding the Marriage You’ve Dreamed Of would make an ideal ♥ Valentine’s present ♥ – especially if the couple agree to read it together! I highly recommend this book!
This book was provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah and this review expresses my honest opinion.
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