the excellent wife by martha peace

This post has been a long time coming... Kirby at Fried Green Tomatoes sent me a copy of a book last Fall after she returned from a mission trip and heard rave reviews about it. Kirby explained to me it was a book with a Biblical perspective of being a wife and suggested we read it together and discuss what we were learning. The past few months we have gained some truly invaluable insight from this book and I am so excited to share about The Excellent Wife by Martha Peace in The Library.

First, let me start by being honest. I thought I knew a lot coming into our marriage-- I knew how to cook, I knew how to clean, I knew many of Dustin's habits, I knew what we discussed during our premarital counseling, I knew what we learned at a couples' conference we attended, and I had several ideas of how I thought things would go. What a wake up call I had once we were living under the same roof and sharing everything! I learned quickly that expecting Dustin to just love and join in on all of the habits I have formed --good and bad-- over the past 20 years was really unrealistic and unfair. Can I just say that I am so thankful that God has shown me over and over that I have so much to learn about being a wife and believer? I also extremely thankful for a husband who gives me grace daily and loves me. Our marriage has humbled me, taught me so much about true love, exceeded every expectation, blessed me immeasurably, and pushed me to seek Christ more than ever. Reading The Excellent Wife has helped me come to this realization.

There are all kinds of martial advice experts, books, videos, blog posts, and Facebook pages. Some give good advice, some give horrible advice, and others give great advice. We have to be careful about who we seek for counsel. I would file The Excellent Wife under the "great" category. The layout of the book is really reader friendly in that the chapters are short, in an outlined format, and full of charts and diagrams. The charts were our favorite! The book is separated into four parts outlining the following:

• A Wife's Understanding: Foundational Truths for the Excellent Wife about God, sin, relationships, marriage, and the wife's role.
• A Wife's Responsibility: Faithful commitments in Christ, the home, love, respect, intimacy, and submission.
• A Wife's Submission: Fulfillment through Biblical submission, God's provision, honoring Christ, communication, and conflict. 
• A Wife's Special Concerns: Sin problems such as anger, fear, anxiety, loneliness, and sorrow. 

What I love the most about the book is that is absolutely based on Scripture. You can hardly read a couple sentences without a passage of the Bible being referenced. I admire and respect many authors and perspectives; however, when it comes to living as a believer, I want to align my choices and actions with what God explains in the Bible. I want to fill my heart, mind, and mouth with the Word so that I can then live it. The Excellent Wife revealed so many areas of my life that were not mirroring what God commands of and desires for wives. I have felt so convicted and so encouraged while reading. Not only are the principles beneficial for marriages, they absolutely apply to other relationships as well.

Whether you are a newlywed or just celebrated your Golden anniversary, I am confident this book would benefit you and your marriage. Grab a copy of the book and invite a friend to join you in reading like Kirby did for me. The accountability, encouragement, and mutual growth will be so amazing! This summer, Dustin and I will celebrate being married a whole two years! (I'm currently brainstorming cotton gift ideas... Any suggestions are welcome!) I am so thankful God showed me that I have a lifetime to learn about being a wife and the importance of seeking His Word daily. I am so excited to experience more lessons He will teach us. I also can't wait to read through this book again and see what new points stick out to me during different seasons of life-- I did my fair share of circling, underlining, and starring my favorite parts.  Now, I know better than to think I know it all about being an Excellent Wife and I am definitely seeking the One who does...

An excellent wife, who can find?

She is far more precious than jewels.

Proverbs 31:10