Review: Messy Beautiful Love: Hope and Redemption for Real-Life Marriages By Darlene Schacht

• File Size: 954 KB
• Print Length: 211 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1400206200
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson (September 16, 2014)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B00I5QX60W

Book Description

Love gets messy.

Financial problems, sickness, aging parents, a chronically unhappy spouse . . . trials will inevitably come along to threaten your marriage. No matter how long you've been married or how strong your relationship is, sooner or later you are going to have a mess to clean up.

Messy Beautiful Love is about cleaning up messes God's way, exchanging our ideas for his, and being prepared for both the best and the worst that marriage has to offer.

Perhaps you've picked up this book because your marriage is messy already-now is the time to make a change. If your marriage is tidy, thank God-there is no better time to prepare for the future.

Married life is never straightforward or simple for long. But the reality is this: when you surrender your relationship to God; when you lay your marriage at his feet; when you finally cede control; then and only then will you experience the blessing of marriage as he intended-this is the blessing of obedience.

Messy Beautiful Love is an invitation to that obedience. An invitation to surrender. The cynical world says marriages don't last. God knows better. Tune out the world and tune in to him. When you do that, a beautiful marriage is not only possible-it's inevitable. That's something to be excited about.


About the Author


Darlene Schacht is the original founder of Christian Women Online Magazine and The Internet Café Devotions and writes the popular blog Time-Warp Wife. She is coauthor of Candace Cameron Bure’s New York Time’s best-selling book, Reshaping It All: Motivation for Physical and Spiritual Fitness. Darlene has been married to Michael Schacht for more than 25 years. They have four children.

My Review

I follow Darlene Schacht's blog, the Time-Warp Wife, as well as follow her on Facebook. I find her views on Christian marriage to be both informative, challenging, motivating and uplifting. I had been looking forward to her latest book, Messy Beautiful Love.

As Courtney Joseph explains in the Foreward: Loving our husbands through the hard times, through the valleys, and when they are most unlovable, reveals the gospel in our lives. It shows we are true followers of Christ as we love unconditionally and lay our lives down for another. I truly believe this and I am always glad to find inspiration for this most important form of prayer and love. Messy Beautiful Love contains the following chapters:

Table of Contents:

One: Messy, Beautiful Love

Two: Walk in Compassion and Grace

Three: Be Patient and Kind When the Going Gets Tough

Four: Give Up Your Right to Be Right

Five: Appreciate Him for Who He Truly Is

Six: Step Back and Allow Him to Lead

Seven: Handle Your Conflict Wisely

Eight: Communicate with Loving Respect

Nine: Be the Woman Your Husband Needs You to Be

Ten: Be Affectionate in Ways That Are Pleasing to God

Eleven: Seize the Day and Capture the Joy

Twelve: Build a Strong Friendship

Thirteen: Be Content with the Life That You’re Given

Fourteen: Walk in Virtue According to Wisdom

Fifteen: Pray for Your Marriage 

In the introduction, Darlene notes that: Life has been messy at times, but I’ve come to understand that true and incomparable love is a beautiful thing. We have each other to lean on when we both need it most. It’s a bit of a struggle some days, but yes, it’s worth battling for!

My marriage is worth battling for and I found this book to be very insightful toward this goal. Darlene writes from her heart and I found her words to be very encouraging. Men are very different from women and it is helpful to know that other women struggle with their relationship with their spouse at times. While every Christian couple strives to have Christ at the center of their marriage. Chapter 4 is titled: Give Up Your Right to be Right. As a strong woman, that is something that I struggle with. It is comforting to know that others struggle with it as well. Above all, pray for your marriage. Such an obvious thing but it is a good reminder!

I recommend this book. Darlene very honestly shares her testimony with the reader. It is a realistic accounting of how marriage really is. A good marriage takes work. Messy Beautiful Love is about not taking your marriage for granted. Remember to show appreciation always! I always like to remember that you get back what you give out. Give this a read!