"Loving Your Spouse When You Feel Like Walking Away" Book Review
Daniel Crosby • March 19, 2025
“Loving Your Spouse When You Feel Like Walking Away” by Gary Chapman is one of the better books I’ve read lately for struggling marriages. Gary’s the guy that wrote the book “The Five Love Languages” that has been such a hit for decades.
This book goes deeper. If you’re in a marriage and you feel stuck and hopeless and like nothing is going to change then you’ve gotta read this one. The premise of the book is that you cannot control your spouse, but you can influence your spouse.
Is your spouse irresponsible, a workaholic, depressed, controlling, verbally, physically, or sexually abusive, uncommunicative, unfaithful, or addicted? Well there’s a whole chapter on each of these where he breaks down how you can influence your spouse for good.
The book is hopeful, yet realistic. Dr. Chapman is honest in saying where certain situations are going to be harder to overcome than others but also how every situation is worth trying for. If you’re considering a divorce then it would be good to read this book 1st to see if you’ve really done all you can do to overcome your marriage struggles. Or if you’re just tired of dealing with the same crap over and over again than this is a good one to read.
Go pick up “Loving Your Spouse When You Feel Like Walking Away” by Gary Chapman.

“The Needs of the Heart” by Chip Dodd is a book that will blow your mind. When I picked it up, it’s a very small thin book. Less than 100 pages. I assumed I’d breeze through it in a couple of hours. About a month later I finished digesting it. The truth is we cannot fully live the life God has called us to unless we acknowledge that we do have needs, that these needs are good, and discover the healthy ways of meeting these needs. Chip takes common human needs like Security and Accomplishment and he unpacks what they really are pointing us to in his typical concise but brilliant depth. There’s no fluff here. With chapters just 3-4 pages each, you’re going to want to have a highlighter ready to underline, to ponder these topics, and maybe then to discuss them with someone you know and trust. You’ll come away from this book with a deeper sense what is already fulfilled within you and ones that might be lacking where you need to go do a deep dive with a lot of prayer and introspection. If you liked Chip’s book “The Voice of the Heart,” this is one is your next read. Go grab “The Needs of the Heart” by Chip Dodd.

Two ways a counselor might help you get uncomfortable and grow: 1. Systematic Desensitization is progressively working your way up to do harder things until you reach your goal and the hard things don't feel as hard anymore. 2. Flooding is when you conquer the struggle by going all in and confronting it head on. It's like teaching someone to swim by throwing them in the deep end of the pool. Could these things help you overcome some complacency? Come see me and we can talk more about it. www.danielcrosbycounseling.com

Hurt Discomfort vs Harm Discomfort? What's the difference? One is good for you....keep doing more of that one! It helps you grow. The other is destroying you...so stop doing that one today! If you're struggling to know the difference, this is where counseling can help. Come see me. www.danielcrosbycounseling.com