This month, I’ve had the privilege of reading Dating Like Airplanes: Why Just Fall in Love When You Can Fly? by Caleb Breakey. At first I questioned myself. Why would a married person want to read a book about dating? Wouldn’t that be a little weird? It didn’t take me long to answer myself, especially once I turned the first page.
But I’ll get to that in a minute…
First, I want to introduce you to Caleb. I met Caleb and his lovely wife Brittney at a writer’s conference a few years ago. Here’s the first thing I noticed about them: they were always smiling. And holding hands. And snuggling up to one another. They were obviously in love with one another. Which is a rare thing to behold in our day and age.
Here’s what I discovered as I chatted with them: they were genuine. Their love was real. It wasn’t a mask they put on. It wasn’t a facade. It was simply who they are.
And that is why I agreed to review Caleb’s book for him. Because his passion for Jesus and his love for his wife and the church is evident. And I wanted to know more about dating like airplanes. I wanted to see if the book was something I could use with my kids as they enter the “dating ages.”
What I wasn’t expecting was to find a book rich with incredible material for not only young couples just beginning to fall in love, but also valid for married couples who may be struggling within their relationship or others who may need a little pick-me-up to get them to the next level of intimacy in theirs.
Through the features of practical advice, transparent sharing about his and Brittney’s relationship, quotes from other authors about relationships, answers to relevant questions given by others who’ve learned to fly, and prompts to help readers in their own discussions with their spouses, Caleb enables readers to get to know one another on a new level and strengthen their relationship at the same time. This is a book I wish my husband and I had access to when we were courting. I am thrilled to have it in my repertoire for my children.
One of my favorite chapters is “What Many Miss Out On.” It’s about recognizing that God has created each of us with a unique design. What we see as annoying quirks and argument-inducing differences in our spouse, God sees as a reflection of His image. It takes a couple who wants to fly in their relationship to recognize that these differences are on purpose and that it can be sinful to try to force a spouse to change. It takes laying down our own expectations of one another and desires for our own preferences in order to allow our spouse to flourish in who God created them to be. This is a truth that I’m coming to terms with in my own marriage and even in how I see my kids. Quirky? Weird? Yes. But image bearers of God in all of His glory.
If you want some great marital advice, date like an airplane. Take off and soar. Pick up a copy of Dating Like Airplanes to discover how.
