Love and War Book Review: A Must Read for Couples

I loved John Eldredge's "Wild at Heart," and then "Captivating," which he and Stasi wrote together.  Now they have put the two parts together in "Love and War...Find Your Way to Something Beautiful in Your Marriage."  It was a fantastic read, and I now want to re-read this book with Hubby, discussing each chapter as we go.  Marriage is hard.  People don't tell you that before you get married, or if they do, your head is too far in the clouds to listen.  In this book, the Eldredges discuss marriage relationships and God's divine design for His people.  Here are a few of the high points of the book, as listed in the beginning of chapter 8:
* You and your spouse live in a love story that is set in the midst of a very real war.
* God gave us marriage, both as a picture of his love to the world, and because we are going to need each other.  We are not playing house - we are living in an epic love story.
*Your marriage is a perfect storm because your borkenness and sin collide in devastating precision with your spouse's.  Yet God is in that, because he is using your marriage to transform you.
*When it comes to love and happiness, we are broken cups.  We will put untold amounts of pressure on our marriage until we realize that God is teh waterfall; he is the love we are looking for.  The greatest gift you can give your spouse (and everyone else in your life) is to have a real relationship with God.

The more of this book I read, the more I wanted to read.  I love the way the Eldredges use examples from their own marriage and are completely honest about the struggles they have faced and issues that still arise.  They use scripture to explain how our relationships were made to work.  I would highly recommend this book to any married couple, no matter how long they have been married or what kind of shape they believe their marriage is in and to couples thinking about getting married.  It was a great read, and I enjoyed thinking about my own marriage and God's wonderful desires and plans for our lives.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.