Why Isn't a Pretty Girl Like You Married?

It's a question often asked with good intentions....but how's a good girl supposed to respond? Certainly not with bitterness, Nancy Wilson urges, but she also suggests it's a question that doesn't need to be asked in the first place. Inherent in such a question is the assumption that there's something wrong with an unmarried young woman or she'd have a man already, but some women just aren't married yet, and that's not necessarily anyone's fault. But what to do with the feelings of loneliness, confusion and discontent often entertained by single Christian women?

Don't pretend you're happy, for starters. Wilson encourages women not to become bitter because they aren't married, but also not to pretend that marriage isn't what they want, or that they wouldn't be happier with a family of their own. She also makes it clear that singleness may well be an affliction, but that as such its purpose is to sanctify the afflicted, not just to make her miserable. With humor and gentleness, Wilson explores these and many similar questions, helping unmarried women in the Church understand and accept their place in the Covenant community.

Focusing on practical considerations, Wilson navigates issues as diverse as making sure you're the kind of woman a godly man would want to marry, loving Christian brothers appropriately, serving in the congregation, and choosing a career. Some topics may be more uncomfortable than others (like how to respect one's father when not living in his home), while some are astonishingly pertinent to the current cultural situation (like the chapter "Don't Be a Basket Case,"which isn't as funny as it sounds). An excellent source of encouragement, comfort and hope, Why Isn't a Pretty Girl Like You Married? won't find you a spouse, but it may help the wait seem not so arduous.