Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Help for single ladies

Lessons Learned as a Bridesmaid is a fun yet spiritually deep book, aimed at single women.  This book, according to the author, "is dedicated to all the ladies who may not feel as overjoyed to hear of yet another friend's recent engagement. This is for the young ladies who, as happy as they may feel to see a friend marry the person of their dreams, have that little ache in their hearts that says, “God, when will it be my turn?” My story is all about how to wait with contentment for your husband that God has chosen just for you." This book feels almost like sitting down with your girlfriends over a cup of coffee or tea and talking openly and honestly about how it feels to be single and what we can do to help those feelings.  
Lessons Learned as a Bridesmaid is a shockingly honest look at the author's life and relationships, with her friends, her family and her former boyfriends.  She chronicles several times she's been a bridesmaid, but she's not made it to the altar herself, to the shock of her Haitian family.  Through speaking about the end of one of her romantic relationships, she outlines the way she sought the Lord through and in her pain and how He healed her heart.  She says, and I agree, that one main problem we as God's children have is how impatient we can get while waiting for His perfect timing, especially where romance is concerned.  
This is a great book for singles of all ages, from late adolescence on.  It includes discussion/study questions at the end of each chapter, which would be ideal for a Sunday School class or small group.  It also shows two Biblical examples of waiting on God's timing, Sarah and Hannah.  
I found much encouragement in this book, being a single, never-married person in my early thirties.  This book reminds me that God is in control and He is working all things for my good.  There are several important Biblically-based lessons to be learned through this book for all women of God.
*I received this book for free in exchange for my unbiased review through the Thomas Nelson BookSneeze Program.