This is a book to encourage others not to give up on marriage when vows can be restored. As a believer in Christ Jesus, I believe that happiness in marriage is nearly impossible to attain when God is not at the center.

We all know that when the wedding celebration ends, our unique “Forever After” begins. No two marriages are the same – so I encourage couples to never compare their apples to someone else’s oranges.

I passionately remind them to judiciously avoid sharing the rotten fruit in their marriage with others – especially with those who are incapable of restoring their marriage to wholeness. The truth is ‘haters’ want to hate and you never know if the advice is coming from a place of love or a place of hurt.

And since hurt people hurt people – even those they love – it’s best to be judicious in whom you share the fruits of your marriage with. You don’t want someone to turn your ‘sour grapes’ into rotten fruit, (e.

g. , they’ll have you thinking you married Mr.

Hyde when you have a Dr. who just needs prayer, patience, counseling, and love).

Ultimately, this book emphasizes that a successful marriage requires ENDLESS WORK, WORK, WORK, AND WORK. I try to mitigate the disillusionment this statement may create by including the hope that there will be scattered moments of sheer joy, consistently interspersed with wonderful segments of shared happiness – however, more than not you will find marriage the most challenging endeavor you will ever experience.

I look at the wistful face of newlyweds and compassionately announce that marriage is WORK - until you die. I gently urge them to let go of the fantasies they see in Social Media Reels and embrace the exhilarating challenges of actual married life.

There is simply no panacea for marriage - the foundation is Jesus and the mortar is the Word which holds it all together. But if you work on your marriage with God's help and release your troubles into His care - it is possible to have a healthy, happy and delightful marraige for with God all things are possible.

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