BookJournal :: marriage advice to singles?

My aunt's recent blog post discusses how a single woman can benefit from reading a book about being a wife and mother. I laughed when I saw her post: I'd just begun reading Carolyn Mahaney's Feminine Appeal myself.

And I must confess that when I hit the second chapter, 'The Delight of Loving My Husband', I groaned. So little of the way into the book and I'm already up against something entirely irrelevant to my life just now? But my obsessive-compulsive streak kicked in and I determined to read through the chapter, rather than skip it so early on in the piece.

I was glad I did. Mrs. Mahaney's advice on loving a husband slotted right into what I needed to hear just then about loving the people in my life. Any relationship founded on Christ, whether it is a marriage partnership or one of casual acquaintance with the other kids at Bible study, must be motivated -- and dominated -- by selflessness and a desire to serve. I was mired in a selfish cycle of thoughts, most of them to do with how I wasn't getting anything out of certain friendships in my life. Ugh.

This quote from Spurgeon was particularly cutting:

He who grows in grace remembers that he is but dust, and he therefore does not expect his fellow Christians to be anything more. He overlooks ten thousand of their faults, because he knows his God overlooks twenty thousand in his own case. He does not expect perfection in the creature, and, therefore, he is not disappointed when he does not find it.

So there you go, Aunty Nell! This single girl's only two and a half chapters in and already learning some powerful stuff.

(The rest of you go check out the post; the list of benefits you'll find there is much more general -- and therefore more relevant -- than my little moment).

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conversations:

Bethany -- sounds like a great sermon series to watch! When I Don't Desire God was like manna to me when I was reading it; definitely what I needed to learn.

Damian -- I'm always nervous about coming across like a creepy stalkerperson, too :), but then I'm usually blessed when someone else with some nerve leaves a comment or message. I look forward to keeping in touch with your Christ-walk through your blog.