Why the title?

In the summer of 2023, I had a conversation with one of my best friends about being ready for marriage. He stated that I wasn't ready to be a wife, which took me aback. A few weeks later during my meditation and devotion time, the Holy Spirit gave me the question "What Would a Wife Do?" to reflect on. I even made some cups and other items for my prayer time around this theme.

Fast forward to now, when I had a similar conversation with the same friend. This time, he mentioned how our beliefs around marriage differ due to our upbringings—he in Baptist and Pentecostal traditions, while I was raised Methodist. This revelation blew me away because all this time, I thought he was Methodist too! (I have a running joke with my ministry friends that I won't even date or give my number to Baptists and Pentecostals.) For the last two years, I keep crossing paths with Baptists and Pentecostals, and I used to joke with friends that I should create a syllabus for potential suitors to read. And so, here we are.

Why "Scandalous" Wife?

The term "Scandalous Wife" stems from my belief in Scandalous Grace, which is rooted in prevenient grace. Prevenient grace is the belief that there is nothing we can do to earn God's grace—God extends it to us despite our sins. Scandalous grace takes this concept and applies it to human relationships. It means extending grace to others despite their shortcomings, their past, or the hurt they've caused. Scandalous grace is unconditional love. It's grace extended to those whose lives society deems scandalous, to those who are told to keep to themselves, to those others are ashamed of. It's grace extended to the black sheep, the outliers, the quirky, and the weird ones.

So here we are. Buckle up for the "What Would a Scandalous Wife Do?" blog, where I wrestle with my theological beliefs on relationships, love, and marriage.