The Excellent Wife

"How you respond [to reproof] is the difference between a maturing, growing Christian and an immature Christian. In fact, it is probably the paramount mark of maturity." - Martha Peace, The Excellent Wife

I'm reading The Excellent Wife. This is a book I will be referring to for years. It's not for the faint of heart, because with the turn of nearly every page I realize how much more sinful I am than I would ever like to admit. It's more of a Bible study than a cover-to-cover one-time read. And with all of the Scripture references comes explanation of how to apply these truths to your marriage and life in general. As wives improve the way they relate to their husbands based on Biblical truth, we will also improve the way we relate to everyone else around us.

"An excellent wife, who can find? For her worth is far above jewels." Proverbs 31:10

One of my favorite parts about this study is the author's testimony. Martha Peace writes in chapter 1,

"Submissive!? Me, be a submissive wife?" With an angry yell, I picked up the Bible and threw it directly at my long-time friend... Of all the things I wanted to be in my life, submissive was not one of them."

She goes on to describe her life before Jesus, filling it with various things from being career-focused, to having children, to drinking and partying, ultimately leading to making plans to leave her husband. Peace says, "Fortunately for me, God had another plan."

I can certainly relate to this story. Submission has nearly become a four-letter word in our culture today. It brings to mind repression, lack of freedom, unequal rights, among other things. Also, I think on this side of eternity everyone struggles with filling the void in their life. There's always a yearning, a desire to figure out just what is my purpose. In high school, I had friends who described it as a 'God-shaped hole'–the idea being that there is a hole inside all of us, in which we try to fit various things. The only thing that fills the hole perfectly is a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

Through this study/book Peace leads the reader through the truth of the Bible, the freedom and joy true submission can bring, and how to work out our faith in a way that will bring glory to God and transform you into an excellent wife. I recommend it to all wives who are willing to try to do it God's way.