Author: Susie Larson
Located in: Minnesota
Submitted: February 04, 2008
Tell us a little about yourself. I am an author, national speaker, and a freelance writer for Focus on the Family. My husband Kevin and I, along with recording artist Sara Groves, and her husband Troy, are co-chairs for the International Justice Mission fund raising banquet in Minnesota. IJM, among other things, rescues young girls from the horrific life of human trafficking. A portion of this book's sales goes to IJM.
What was your motivation behind this project? I speak regularly at women's retreats and conferences and many women have told me that they are worn down from feeling alone in marriage, so much so, that the thought of reading another "how to" marriage book simply made them tired. I wanted to write a book just for them. This book addresses the spiritual journey of the woman walking through a one-sided season in marriage. Most who have been married a certain length of time have endured a season or two where marriage has been lopsided. This happens to both husbands and wives, but this particular book is written for women. My prayer is that women will be nourished and strengthened amidst a trying time in marriage. I've received emails from women letting me know how deeply this book has impacted them, and for that, I'm so very grateful.
What do you hope folks will gain from this project? After interviewing many women in one sided situations, no matter if their husband's are in seminary or living in sin, I found that certain issues surfaced across the board. In the first section, I addressed how anger, fear, worry, and self-pity are "unnecessary weights" that will only slow us down and make the journey miserable. In the second section, I address how loneliness, disappointing, waiting, and imperfection are actually "weights" that can refine us, if we carry them differently. And finally in the last section, I acknowledge the weight of our words, our perspective, and our prayers. Since we are so important to God, it matters that we pray, how we talk about this season, and how we choose to look at this journey. God is faithful and He wants to be BIG in us!
How were you personally impacted by working on this project? This book was difficult for me to write because my husband has carried me more miles than I've carried him. But I've also endured a number of my own one-sided seasons because of my husband's tendency towards workaholism. I gleaned a lot from my sample readers who were alone in marriage due to their husbands' sickness, depression, deployment, work load, etc., etc. What I found is that no matter the reason behind the season, it is utterly possible to grow spiritually and thrive during the most trying of times.
Who are your influences, sources of inspiration or favorite authors / artists? I love Andrew Murray, A.W. Tozer, Catherine Marshall, Graham Cooke, and Bruce Wilkenson.
Of course I love Sara Groves (her new album is inspired by the work of IJM).
I love Lincoln Brewster, Chris Tomlin, and Selah.
Anything else you'd like readers / listeners to know: My next book, "The Uncommon Woman: Making an Ordinary Life Extraordinary" releases this summer (July, '08). This book addresses our identity as women, how we relate to other women (and our tendency towards gossip, pettiness, and the challenge to take the higher road), and our individual call to make a huge impact in our world.
This book is excellent for both adult and college age women.
Watch for it!
God bless you~
