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I remember childishly singing the song "One Day My Prince Will Come...". As a little girl I dreamed about when I would be grown enough to find the one to love me into the happily ever afters. I was just 12 when I began to pick out wedding dresses, to dream about my special day & the man that would capture my heart. At just 15 I met my Dave & 5 years later we made the vows which joined us as one. Those promises: we both intend to keep them our whole lives. But do you know what? That happy ever after still contains challenges. Even though Dave is both handsome & wonderful ( I truly couldn't ask for a better husband), well... he's not perfect.
(Perfect for me? Yes; Perfect? Not quite).
To be brutally honest, neither am I ( nor am I even close to perfect).
Marriage between two sinners...yeah that can be hard.
Knowing that men and women have different
perspectives- on nearly everything! - could have saved
us a lot of heartache. ~ Juana Mikels
Choosing Him All Over Again is a book written straight from the heart of Juana Mikels. She opens her life to her readers & delves deeply into the flaws, cracks & heartache therein. She honestly shares the painful decisions that led her to abandon her husband, eventually find Christ, want reconciliation with her husband even when he repeatedly refused & ultimately reconciling after years of waiting on the Lord's timing. Ultimately though, this is not just Juana's story. There is so much more to this book that will challenge, encourage & inspire you to live a more godly life whether you are single, separated, married or divorced.
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| My one & only love. Every day shared is a blessing from the Lord! |
While I found Juana's life story very interesting, I truly appreciated that woven throughout the story is pure honesty, Biblical wisdom, advice & challenges. As she relates her story, Juana will stop & analyse where she went wrong & how her thinking was marred. In her doing so I was deeply challenged in my own attitudes and beliefs. I appreciated how Juana quoted many strong Christian authors & included many relevant Bible verses to strengthen the point she was making. Her advice was timely & fitted perfectly with what she was sharing in her story.
A good marriage is not something you find,
but something you make. ~ Juana Mikels
No marriage is perfect. There are frustrations in every marriage & so many of the issues that Juana found in her own marriage & ultimately in her own life are ones that I face myself, ones that are common to every person. Sadly, it's because of these that many people decide to abandon their vows & seek after what they perceive as 'better'. Even though statistically it will end up much the same way. Simple guidance, as shared within the pages of this book, can save people so much heartache & pain.
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| My family just before I walked down the aisle (yes, I arrived in a helicopter) |
At the end of the book, Juana includes '11 Checkpoints to Refresh Your Marriage'. Everyone who is married should seek out such a list. Simple things which are so easy to do (such as 'I will practice loving patience'), but make all the difference in a marriage. Things that are so easily forgotten in the heat of the moment... I am glad for this reminder & I am noting these in my prayer journal to remind myself daily. What marriage couldn't use some refreshment?
Juana Mikels wrote her own story of how God saved her marriage along with practical teaching on faith and marriage written out of her own failure, pointing us all to Jesus Christ who has the power to change lives and marriages. You can get a copy here HERE or on Kindle HERE.
There is also a FREE downloadable Choosing Him Companion Bible Study for those who want to go deeper into Scripture. It is available HERE.
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