| Created to be His Help Meet - book, 5 stars This book was the one book that got through to me what the role of a wife actually is. Before then, I thought that I needed to be served and it was all about me in my marriage relationship.
Most crtics of this book have said that Debi makes women seem like "doorstops" like it's something new, when in fact we all are doorstops (male and female) and deserve eternal hellfire for our sin--BUT we don't have to get what we deserve because of the work Jesus Christ did for us on the cross! So because our GRACIOUS God has given us such a gift, we ought to treat others as God treats them! God loves the lowlife husbands and the "perfect" husbands the same. God loves the sullen wives and the loving wives the same too. Debi is really trying to instruct us wives to treat our husbands with respect as Christ treats the church, with love and utmost respect. Before we can effectively minister to others, we have to get OUR OWN HEARTS RIGHT with God! It starts with US first, then we can have a loving marriage, life, whatever. A lot of people are cut, angry, and convicted by the message of this book, but that is because there are things in their own lives they need to fix. For me, personally, there were areas in my life where I was convicted that my husband doesn't even notice or care about, but I know that if I change, it will bless him and God!
This book has also affected me in that I have so much more compassion for my sisters in Christ. Unfortunately with divorce as easy as pie nowadays, there are so many divorced, single women out there. My particular fellowship is full of them. Most came to the Lord after divorce (Rom. 8:28), but many of them will never get the opportunity to be married again. Most have had to raise 2 or more children on their own. Debi does not want her readers to end up like these poor women. What really struck me was that she pointed out that marriage was a gift and not something we can just go pick up at the store when we run out of it. Marriage is SACRED and not to be mocked or taken lightly. Debi is so "harsh" with her readers because of this truth. If a woman VOWED before God to be with a jerk of a man, then she's got to take the initiative and make it work through the love of Christ! You can't just trade him in for a new one. And, I bet if you ask these divorcées that I know, they wish they were still married, and they wished they could have changed in order to keep their marriage in tact not only for their sake, but their kids' sakes! As Debi frequently points out, it ain't fun to raise 3 kids by yourself no matter how headstrong you are. Ask someone who has and they will tell you otherwise (or lie to you but cry themselves to sleep every night wishing it was different).
If there are any young, Christian women out there who are thinking of getting married at any point in the future or are recently married, please get this book!!! We have been so deprogrammed by this wordly society in public schools, families, friends, media, etc., that the INTENDED ROLE OF WOMEN has been forgotten! Today's world forces women to act like men and take over their roles, disrespect them, and thus it makes our lives miserable! We do not have to be bound by what sin has made marriage out to be! Let's get back to what God made us women for--help meet! Praise the Lord for Mrs. Pearl and her "revolutionary" (haha...i bet God doesn't think it's revolutionary) ideas! |
