Sacred Marriage: What If God Designed Marriage to Make Us Holy More Than to Make Us Happy? Book

This book is absolutely amazing. The tag on the cover sums it up: "What if God designed marriage to make us holy more than to make us happy?" This is a ground-breaking concept in today's world of serial divorces. We seem to shop for spouses like we shop for new clothes. When the marriage gets difficult, or just worn out, we get a new wife or husband.

But what if marriage is supposed to be hard? What if the "worse" in for better or for worse is pretty much a guarantee, and designed by God, to draw us closer to him, and maybe in the process even draw us closer to our spouse? These were questions that really challenged me to take a look at my all of my relationships. Do I run as soon as the going gets tough? If I don't like the people I work with, do I just get a new job? If I don't like my church, do I shop for a new one? And if I'm not particularly happy with my wife, do I consider just throwing in the towel?

These are all questions I've been asking myself while reading this book. The author really helped me come up with some great answers. After 20 years of marriage, through some hard times when I wanted to just run, I am growing to love my wife more than the day I married her. I feel so sad for couples that never get to this point because they gave up, just when the good stuff (the hard stuff) started to happen. And, more importantly, I'm growing closer to God. I can see him working in my life every day. Teaching me how to love, even when those around me aren't very lovable (isn't that what He does every day?)

I'd recommend this book for anyone who is married, whether "happily" or not so much. It can really help define for you the God-designed-purpose for your marriage: to draw you closer to Him.