I wasn't more than a few pages in when I felt myself being prodded by this book. Like the authors, even when we're both home, Paul and I spend our time doing different things in separate rooms of the house. The next time he was home, I asked him, "Is there anything that we could be doing together, instead of one or the other of us doing it?" Neither of us could come up with much, so I was anxious to delve further into the book and find out what the answer they offer is.
Empty: A Couple's Study of Marriage
(affiliate link) was an easy to read account that I could relate to. Both spouses share openly, which is a welcome change from many marriage books that favor one perspective over the other. Not to mention, they are a homeschooling family, which presents unique challenges in a marriage.
Authors Mike & Kim Marquez use many Biblical references to show us how God's relationship with us mirrors marriage. The Old Testament references to God bringing the Hebrews out of Egypt were timely for me, since we've been reading the very same passages this school year. The book refers to God redeeming Israel as "the true Cinderella story." I thought that was beautiful.
The further I got into this book, the more convicted I became. In the same way that it becomes easy to skip out on our quiet time with God, and cool toward Him, with prayers becoming a dinner table activity, instead the heartfelt conversations they once were, we can take our spouses for granted and stop making them a priority. We fill up our time with all kinds of other activities to dull the longing to be with our marriage partner. But our efforts to satisfy our need for that special love and affection will always fall short.
It was an "aha! moment" for me when I read that a blah marriage can often be traced to a blah spiritual life. We must serve our spouse out of a joyful appreciation of all God has done for us. Too often, we focus more on what we want our spouse to do for us, rather than what we can do to please them.
This Valentine's Day, I urge you to read this book. The Empty ebook currently sells for $5.99, certainly a worthwhile investment. Take the time to remind yourself what's important. Help refresh your marriage and your faith walk. (affiliate link) was an easy to read account that I could relate to. Both spouses share openly, which is a welcome change from many marriage books that favor one perspective over the other. Not to mention, they are a homeschooling family, which presents unique challenges in a marriage. Authors Mike & Kim Marquez use many Biblical references to show us how God's relationship with us mirrors marriage. The Old Testament references to God bringing the Hebrews out of Egypt were timely for me, since we've been reading the very same passages this school year. The book refers to God redeeming Israel as "the true Cinderella story." I thought that was beautiful.
The further I got into this book, the more convicted I became. In the same way that it becomes easy to skip out on our quiet time with God, and cool toward Him, with prayers becoming a dinner table activity, instead the heartfelt conversations they once were, we can take our spouses for granted and stop making them a priority. We fill up our time with all kinds of other activities to dull the longing to be with our marriage partner. But our efforts to satisfy our need for that special love and affection will always fall short.
It was an "aha! moment" for me when I read that a blah marriage can often be traced to a blah spiritual life. We must serve our spouse out of a joyful appreciation of all God has done for us. Too often, we focus more on what we want our spouse to do for us, rather than what we can do to please them.
I received a copy of this ebook free of charge for review purposes, and I was compensated for my time in writing this review. My opinions expressed here, however, are all my own.
Sounds like a good read, very timely for me.
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