How do you survive marital infidelity? How does a woman rebuild trust in her husband after he’s confessed some emotional and physical affairs, and lied about others?
Is there a way forward?
The Healing Choice: How to Move Beyond Betrayal by Brenda Stoeker and Susan Allen address these questions and many others. It is a very personal book, divided in half as each of these women tell their stories. They offer the reader a detailed prescription for dealing with these issues. First, realize that God is present even during the darkest days of our lives and second, there is a community of women who have had similar (and even identical) experiences and have survived these problems.
Stoeker and Allen each draw upon their own experiences with these issues and offer step-by-step advice for rediscovering intimacy with God and finding the support you need to move toward genuine spiritual and emotional restoration.
Strengths:
It’s a book written by and for women, particularly women who have experienced tremendous emotional pain. The stories told are told from a woman’s perspective. It makes for an unusual (though not unhelpful) read for a man.
It does provide helpful spiritual advice for women that includes a strong dose of community as well.
Weaknesses:
Most obviously is that men will not feel addressed in the book. (But, we've got enough alternate choices). I’m uncertain that it is much of a weakness, but simply a decision made by the authors to narrow their focus to a particular target market.
Overall, I think the strongest feature of the book is that it let’s hurting women know that they are not alone and offers a prescription of both Christ and community.
I have two copies of the book and one group study guide that goes along with it. Rather than having a contest on this one, I’d rather pass them along to people who need them. If you or someone you know would benefit from this book, I’ll send you a copy. Email me at the address listed above.
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