Married Monday Review: 9 Thoughts That Can Change Your Marriage by Sheila Wray Gregoire

I received this book in return for a review from Blog for Books. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

   About once a month I go and choose a book from the Blog for Books website, the last few that I have gotten have been cookbooks because I can never stay away from them. This time, though I was looking for a book based on Christian marriage and for the first time, since I started, saw one that looked good. I didn’t pay much attention to the authors name and did not realize that it was Sheila who blogs over at To Love, Honor and Vacuum. I have been following her since we got engaged and love the advice she gives.

   In the book she looks at the way wives typically go about trying to solve their issues, praying, waiting on their husbands to change, trying to fix other people; and says that is not the way to go about it. These problems can only be solved by first adjusting how you think and your attitude.

   I love how this book is laid out, each of the 9 thoughts is a chapter. Each chapter starts with a story either of hers or a friend she has talked to, laying out how that thought or action was missing or not being done to its best in a relationship or within that person’s thoughts.  Then it goes into some deeper thinking, sprinkled with more real stories. Each chapter includes action steps to take, to implement that thought and to make you more conscious of your actions.

   She also challenges typical (pat) Christian answers to situations and replaces them with practical answers and biblical truths. With that, she also gives ways to put them into practice with a realistic approach.

   This book has changed how I look at myself and my husband. With its focus on how you think and your thoughts, I have seen that I have things to work on. Your marriage can be wonderful or frustrating just with a shift in your thoughts and how you choose to look at it. You have the power to make your marriage the way you want it to be, and within time your husband can be transformed by just how you treat him. Sheila has figured so many things out through her marriage and is kind enough to share her thoughts and wisdom. I am so thankful that I found this book this early in marriage so that I will be mindful throughout the course of my marriage to ensure that it is always the best that it can be.

   This is the first book that I have actually taken notes on and have referred back to. Here are some of my favorite lines from the book.

• A powerful thought from the first chapter; “God wants the same for your husband as he does for you.” “God chose you for his son.”  God is your father, but he is also your father in law, that one really spoke to me.
• An action step from the first chapter is to tell him why you love him every day not just that you do love him.
• Your husband wants the best from you, the things he does is not to intentionally make you upset. 

   I give this book 5 stars and would recommend it to everyone. If you’re getting married soon or are newlywed get this book. If you have been married forever and are frustrated or wondering why you are not as connected to your husband, get this book. It applies to everyone and truly can change your marriage.