It seems as if every year there are multiple books released on the topic of marriage. There are a few that stand out as ones that are classics and are thus highly recommended by pastors and other people in ministry. Although From This Day Forward is a new book in this arena, it is certainly one that will remain in my recommended books for people regardless of their relationship status. The wisdom contained in this book is applicable to singles, newlyweds, and couples that have been married for decades.
We know that the divorce rate is high regardless of whether you consider yourself a Christian or not. Craig and Amy believe that you can beat the odds if you will apply the five things they outline in their book. The five commitments they list are simple in words, but difficult in putting into action day by day.
The five commitments they list are to seek God, fight fair, have fun, stay pure, and never give up. At the outset those seem simple enough and I could quickly recite them back to you. However, it would do me no good to simply have a head knowledge of what these concepts mean. I have to be willing to put these words into action.
I have a good marriage. My wife and I are able to have honest dialogue and communicate issues when they arise. I feel as if we never seek to beat down the other and instead seek to fight fair just like the Groeschels say. We seek God in our lives and stay pure and constantly seek out ways to have fun. To this point, we have never been faced with a situation where we have considered giving up. I pray that we will never reach that point. We are coming up on our fifty anniversary and to this point, we have never given up chasing after the other.
All that considered, I realized that I had to step back and seek out what I could learn from the authors and apply to my own marriage. I have come to learn that even though I have a good marriage, I do not want that. Instead, I want to have a great marriage. I do not want to just tolerate and enjoy my wife. I want to live a marriage that my future children model and seek out.
My wife has not read the book. I am sure I will pass it along to her soon. I hope that she can already begin to see a difference in me and my commitment to her. Even if she does not see it, the things I have already began to put in place have been enough for me. As hard as it is to believe, I enjoy my marriage more now than I did two weeks ago.
[Tweet “Even though I have a good marriage, I want a great one. @CraigGroeschel @BraveReviews”]
If you have five hours or so on a weekend, give this book a read. It does not take long to make it through the pages. You could easily finish it in one sitting if you have that much time. However, do not feel pressed to rush through it. Instead, read what the authors have to say and consider your own marriage or what you want in your future marriage. You will be glad you did.
