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Introduction


It’s a balancing act, I’ve found. Life, that is.
It’s learning how to stay on the beam - by falling off of it... and landing flat on your face.
A lot.
This is the most appropriate place to introduce myself, for two reasons. One, because, well, it’s the Introduction, and that’s just what I’m supposed to do. And two, because I’m a pro - not at the balance beam… but at falling flat on my face.
A lot.
So, hey… I’m Katie. And this is my Introduction, which, by the way, is really more like its own chapter as opposed to a simple preface, but hey, this is my book after all, and I’m not one to follow a mold anyway!
So a little about me….
When I began writing this book, I was a know-it-all in my twenties. I had all the answers to having a successful marriage and thriving family. After all, I’d been married for a few years, and had a couple kids by then. I’d perfected the marriage and family balance beam, you see. Ha.
So, having mastered life, and with the best of intentions, I set out on this journey of authoring with the sincere desire to help others achieve what I had. Thankfully, though, the Lord chose to give me a few good years of humbling before I published all my knowledge!
Fast forward those few more years, a couple more kids, and a LOT of said humbling from the Lord (and consequently a LOT of editing my manuscript), and my dream of authoring this book has finally come to fruition, at the (still very young) age of thirty-two.
But, I’m no longer a know-it-all. In fact, I know less now than I did even five years ago - a trend I imagine will continue as I age. Funny how that works.
That said, though, my desire to help others have a successful marriage and family is still there, and the narrow beam we all have to walk in order to achieve that success is still the same. I’ve just learned how to balance on it a little better now. And I’ve learned the key to that balancing act is grace.
And for the record, I’m still walking the beam… and still falling flat on my face more than I care to admit. But I’m happy to share what I’ve learned thus far.

As I write this, I’m enjoying my tenth year of being married to my wonderful husband; I’m absolutely loving my job as a stay-at-home mama, to now four beautiful gifts from God; I’m in my seventh year of homeschooling, and I guess now I’m an author too!
Most importantly, though, I am an unashamed Christian; and while I’ve learned the beauty of grace, I’m still extremely (socially) conservative, very opinionated, politically incorrect, and considered by many (ok, most) absolutely crazy. But guess what? My family is happy. Content. Joyful. And we love Jesus. Aka, successful.

My goal with this book is not to present you with a know-it-all, cookie cutter mold created for you by me, designed for you to squeeze your family into, but rather it is to present the basic truths of God’s design for your marriage and family, and give you a glimpse into our lives - a look at our walk on the balance beam; all to show you that narrow living, at the direction of the Holy Spirit, will always achieve success. It will always need grace, but it will always achieve the success of contentment. It deeply saddens me to see so many people living in an unsuccessful marriage with a mediocre family life, and I want to do what I can to help even just one family.

Before you ask, the answer is no. No, I don’t have all the answers. No, I don’t know exactly what your situation is. No, I can’t promise that, should you be searching for that successful marriage and family, even if you mimicked my every conviction, God would restore your failing marriage or bring your prodigal child home. We live in a fallen world, where bad things just happen; sometimes for no specific reason, and sometimes, because we must reap the consequences of the sins of our past, and even those of generations before us. But there is hope, hence I’ve kept writing. I see so many people struggling when they just don’t have to. And while God, in His sovereignty, may not restore or mend every relationship out there, it’s certainly worth the effort on the good chance that He might. God is a God of restoration, of hope, of peace! And He loves us, and wants us to live in unity together by His Word.
That happens because we are intentional in the way we live. And while grace abounds, the way is narrow.

Throughout these pages are woven Biblical truth, historical statistics, helpful how-to's, and many of my own personal convictions, all in hopes to guide you to that place of success (…success, not perfection).