helping women connect with their world
Do you like surprises? Depends on what they are, right? Living and working outside our own culture we often experience surprises. Some delight us and some shock us.
Some of my most pleasant surprises come in the form of people, often strangers, who become living, practical expressions of God’s love. In this Peter’s Wife I want to share some of those with you. I hope that as you read them, you’ll recall some loving surprises of your own, and maybe even share them with the PW community.
Every year we hear news of another failed PW marriage. How many do you know?
Today we hear of more PW marriages failing than a generation ago. In the past, most PWs came from stable homes, even if their parents weren’t believers. Today a much higher percentage of PWs come from broken home backgrounds. Furthermore, many young people have no model of a strong, healthy marriage. Add to this the stresses of cross-cultural work. A marriage that is shaky at home may stay together because of extended family or available counseling; while the same marriage overseas may break up because of isolation and different social mores.
Let’s consider what is important in a marriage– the non-negotiable needs for a successful marriage, whether at home or living cross culturally.
It’s almost Valentine’s Day, the day we celebrate love. So it’s a good time to think about our husband and our home. At Valentine’s Day we usually think about romance, gifts, or special meals. But instead, let’s look at the atmosphere of our home. Is it a peaceful, joyful, welcoming place for our husband? What can we do to make it a refuge and a place full of love? If Valentine’s Day is about gifts of love, this could be the best gift of all.
Proverbs 14:1 tells us, “The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.”
There are many ways we can build our home. When we dust and clean and declutter, we make our home pleasant. When we cook nutritious and appetizing meals, we make our home satisfying. But we can do more than chores to build our home. The attitudes we practice affect the atmosphere.
