Fitzpatrick - Helper by Design Gods Perfect Plan for Women in Marriage

T his is my seventh book, although I have to admit that it would be more fitting if it were my tenth. That's because the number seven is thought by some to represent perfection whereas the number ten symbolizes trials. I say that this should be my tenth book because it has been the most difficult book I've written. Honestly there were days I strongly considered forsaking the whole project. Then, when by God's mercy, I once again regained forward motion, I felt I was walking in the dark trying to learn what I just tripped over, picking up a stone, holding it examining it, experiencing it. What does the heat of this rock mean? Is it really blistering hot or is it just that my hands are so cold? Is it genuinely sharp? Does it have to cut, or am I just hanging on to it too tightly or holding it in the wrong places? Couldn't I just describe it for you, as an impersonal bystander, and avoid placing it in my own heart?

In some ways my previous six books were about my own personal struggles and my search for victory in themsome struggles being more personal and painful than others. This book is just like that for me only more so.

As I set out to write on this topic, I originally saw it as an interesting jaunt down a theological bypath. Then I discovered that I was going to have to suffer the walk down that path, and this writing became intensely personal and painful for me. The Lord has obliged me to shine light on areas in my own life that I've historically neglected. I discovered that I needed to work through these issues for myself, for my marriage. There was much that desperately needed to be redeemed. For me, the darkness on my path wasn't only a matter of ignorance or misinformation. It was also a matter of unbelief and sinful rebellion on my part. So, although this manuscript isn't primarily a description of my journey toward wholeness and holiness, it is that.

In trying to write personally and share my heart with you, I've had to traverse another thorny path: I've wanted to let you see me and learn how I've fought to flesh out Truth, but I haven't wanted to be so candid that my dear husband was denigrated in any way. I respect and love Phil and admire him especially for the patience he's had in sacrificially shepherding me for all these years. If you knew him, you would respect and love him, too.

Even though I've reached one objective because now you hold this book in your hands, I want you to know that I haven't arrived at our true destination yet. I'm not Mrs. Proverbs 31 or the Total Woman, but I do have a clearer picture of where I'm headed and how to get there. I trust this book will paint that picture for you.