Sara Horn - My So-Called Life as a Proverbs 31 Wife: A One-Year Experiment...and Its Surprising Results

HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS

EUGENE, OREGON

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission.

Verses marked MSG are from The Message. Copyright by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Verses marked NLT are from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189 USA. All rights reserved.

Cover design by Dugan Design Group, Bloomington, Minnesota

Cover illustration iStockphoto / seanjames

Author photo by Crafts Photography

Published in association with the literary agency of Alive Communications, Inc., 7680 Goddard Street, Suite 200, Colorado Springs, CO 80920. www.alivecommunications.com.

This book contains stories in which the author has changed peoples names and some details of their situations in order to protect their privacy.

MY SO-CALLED LIFE AS A PROVERBS 31 WIFE

Copyright 2011 by Sara Horn
Published by Harvest House Publishers
Eugene, Oregon 97402
www.harvesthousepublishers.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Horn, Sara, 1977-

My so-called life as a Proverbs 31 wife / Sara Horn.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-0-7369-3941-6 (pbk.)

ISBN 978-0-7369-4213-3 (eBook)

1. Horn, Sara, 1977-2. WivesReligious life. 3. WivesBiblical teaching. 4. Bible. O.T. Proverbs XXXI, 10-31Criticism, interpretation, etc. I Title.

BV4528.15.H672 2011

248.8435dc22

2011008129

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Printed in the United States of america

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 / VP-SK / 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

To Cliff
You remind me often that I have your heart,
So I want you to know that while
I may never learn to iron well
Or vacuum in perfectly straight lines,
While I may still burn quesadillas from time to time
And knit uneven, hole-ridden scarves you mistake for
face masks,
I will always seek to bring you good
And not harm.
Its what one does when one gives the heart away,
And you have had my heart for a very long time.
A treasured gift for which I am very blessed
to say and call you
Husband.
I love you.

Books never come about by just one person, and this particular project certainly holds up to that statement. So many people have my gratitude, but a few special folk cant go without being named.

First, my thanks to the Harvest House teamto LaRae Weikert and the editorial board for seeing the vision in the story; to Rod Morris, Editor Incredible, who was so patient and helpful from the first section of edits to the last; and to the rest of the fantastic staff, including Brad Moses and Katie Lane for all your wonderful efforts with this project.

I also must thank my agency, Alive Communications, and my agent, Andrea Heinecke. Thank you so much for representing me and being such a first-class Christian organization.

So many women in my life have played a part in shaping me into who I am today: my mom, Gail Owens, who has prayed for me probably more than I will ever realize and who continues to be one of my biggest supporters; my mother-in-law, Ms. Nancy, who is a great example of love in action; other dear ladies I have known, some for a long time and others for just a short whileCarol McGlothlin, Brenda Pace, Jennifer Cook, Jennifer Schuchmann, Dori Cook, Leighann McCoy, Carol Veneman, Karen Radcliff, and Jackie Lacy. Thank you for your examples.

Thank you to my Wives of Faith ministry leaders and board membersStephanie, Shauna, Deanna, Leanne (who is also my booking coordinator), Jessica, Pattie, and Tasha. I am daily humbled to be connected with each of you. You exemplify what it means to be women after Gods heart, and I am grateful to know you.

The year that I have recorded in these pages has been one of the most severe in terms of winding roads, detours, U-turns, and occasional (and literal) fender benders. I could not have gone through any of it without the love of my life, Cliff Horn. Handsome, you are such a blessing to me in so many ways, and I am so grateful to be your wife. I am so proud of the man you are and the service you give our country alongside the other men and women of our military forces. I am looking forward to the next chapter God writes in this life of ours, and Im so happy to be doing it by your side.

I end these notes with a grateful prayer of thanksgiving to God:

Lord, only you knew how these pages would be written before this whole experiment began, and I am thankful for the lessons you taught me and the changes youve made in my heart and my life. Help me continue to always strive to be the wife and mom you desire for me to be. Amen.

This book is not a collection of tips on cooking, sewing, and all things homemaking. If thats what youre looking for, please look for another book. If anything, what you hold in your hands might be better described as a collection of what not to do. This book is really just one womans story of her quest to be a better wifeand what happens when her circumstances dont cooperate.

My experience wont be your experience. But you may see parts of your experience in the pages that follow. You may find yourself challenged with some of the questions Ive asked myself. Or, at the very least, you may learn that theres at least one wife out there worse off than you.

I do what I can to help others.

Y esterday was Sunday.

Our pastor started a new sermon series on the family. We missed the first sermon last week, but we were there yesterday for the second. The first week was Dads Matter More than Anything. This weeks was titled Moms Matter Just as Much.

Good to know.

As the pastor got started, I pulled out my Bible and my notebook, all ready to take notes. But then he said something that made my stomach churn. My hands instinctively made fists. My eyebrows furrowed.

The biblical passage he was speaking from was Proverbs 31.

Of course, I muttered to myself, turning to the passage I revere and fear at the same time.

The Proverbs 31 wife and I dont get along very well. I dont appreciate how bad she makes me look. I dont like the guilt I feel when I see her. If she is the standard all Christian wives should work toward, then Im in serious trouble. If shes the equivalent of Miss America, then Im a whole lot more like Lucille Ball. I have a lot of explaining to do for why Im not more like Miss America. And Im not really sure I can.

The pastor started making his points:

An Excellent Wife Is a Rare Find (v. 10).

An Excellent Wife Can Be Trusted in Every Way (vv. 11-12).