“For better or worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health. We say those words and mean them. Until we don’t. It turns out, given the right circumstances, none of us are exempt from drifting apart or making bad decisions that lead us to places we never thought we’d go.” In New Marriage, Same Couple, Josh and Katie share a powerful story of God’s healing work within their own marriage that endured such a season. After an affair that jeopardized the commitment of those vows, the Walters found a way to heal and to recover what could have easily been lost.

While perhaps a bit reductionistic, the couple offers S.T.A.Y. as an approach to marital repair:

  • Start with me: When one person changes, the entire relationship changes.
  • Take quitting off the table: Bring your whole self to the solution… there are no shortcuts to wholehearted covenant.
  • Allow others to be a part of the story: Trust the right people, in the right ways, at the right time.
  • Yield to vision: You need a destination, an image in your mind, a goal to cling to.

Much of New Marriage, Same Couple is devoted to sharing their deeply personal story and journey through marital unfaithfulness. Yet, throughout its pages, you will find a story infused with hope. It is not only the hope of a better marriage, but it is the hope that comes through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

At the same time, I found myself looking for something more practical—more tangible—at the end of each section. There is apparently a workbook available to accompany the reading, and perhaps this would provide what I felt to be missing. The book was less a marriage book in general and more a book about the Walters’ marriage; and, this could make some of the reading and takeaways difficult to apply to other couples and contexts.

Nonetheless, while there are better marriage books available, New Marriage, Same Couple offered a beautiful story of resilience and strength through a time of what I can only imagine was heartbreaking difficulty. For their transparency and honesty and sharing of God’s faithfulness even in the midst of marital unfaithfulness, I am grateful.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Publishing for the advanced readers copy in return for my honest review.