How to be a Peaceful Wife

If you choose to be a wife, you can choose to be a peaceful wife. I know a lot of wives who have no peace. If you’re a single lady, I bet you know a married friend who lacks peace. For many, marriage is a wrestling match of the wills where peace is counted as a loss along the way. Yet, we crave peace, especially in relationships. It doesn’t come naturally. Peace is a destination a wife chooses to pursue or abandon. I can say from first hand experience that being a Peaceful Wife is a daily choice or more, and one victory never assures a lifetime of success. After more than 25 years of wedded mostly-bliss, I still need to drink a fresh flow of truth. I still need to be encouraged and exhorted, held accountable and affirmed. That’s why I jumped at the chance to review Kregel’s new book by author April Cassidy, “The Peaceful Wife.“

I love to share quality resources with my readers. A lot of my readers are hungry for helpful, practical, positive, and scripture based books to help wives be and do what God desires (no small task). Before I could absorb April’s table of contents, I noticed this book is recommended by the author of Love and Respect, Emerson Eggerichs, and Shaunti Feldhahn, author of For Women Only and Highly Happy Marriages. I was hopeful.

The subtitle “Living in Submission to Christ as Lord” gives readers a generous glimpse of what’s ahead. Not one to overlook the value of the beginning information, I noted April lovingly dedicates this book to her husband, Greg, whom she clearly respects and loves. That meant a lot to me, because she writes admissions of her own personal peacelessness in a marriage to a passive man. I don’t want to hear about PEACE from someone who hasn’t lived it; April has.

“This is what I had always dreamed marriage would be. I had never felt so loved, fulfilled, safe, and happy in my life. Everything was absolutely perfect … for three short days.”

Every wife will relate to April’s honest admissions. Like a lot of us, she believed her husband was the problem. Aren’t we quick to go down this road? She discovered, “This whole godly wife thing was all about my walk with Christ; it really wasn’t about how Greg treated me.”

The Peaceful Wife is April’s first book and really feels like a personal and practical extension of her blog peacefulwife.com. After sharing her own marriage story of wrestling and wondering, she uses God’s word for direct, yet kind, diagnosis and application of what robs a wife’s peace. Her honesty and attention to the Lordship of Christ in her life is challenging.

She addresses questions and concerns wives commonly have, framing useful answers and examples with scripture and encouragement. You’ll find the word “respect” in 5 of the 13 chapter titles. I love the way April uses her own past actions and attitudes to help other women understand, acknowledge, confess, and learn from the obstacles that rob us of the peace we’re meant to know.

If you choose to be a wife, you can choose to be a peaceful wife. A lot of wives have no peace. Peaceful wives are an anomaly in today’s world. Freaks. Exceptions. It doesn’t have to be that way. God’s ways lead to peace.

If you’re a wife searching for more peace in marriage or if you have a passive husband who won’t lead, April’s book may be a source of help for you.