Living Whole without a Better Half by Wendy Widder - REVIEWED

About the Book:

How to live happily ever after if your prince or princess never shows up.

There are more singles in—and out of—the church today than ever before. Wendy Widder knows the struggles of being single from the inside out, and she has something to say.While there is no shortage of books about singlehood on the market, Widder’s approach is markedly different. In Living Whole Without a Better Half readers study the character in Hebrews 11. Widder uses these Biblical examples to show readers how to embrace singleness as an abundant life and a God-given gift, not as an unfortunate stage they should move past as quickly as possible. By examining the lives of biblical heroes such as Abraham, Moses, and Jacob, she reveals that trying to bargain with God to follow our plans and timing often keeps us from appreciating the opportunities he places in our path.

Widder makes her case with wit and a wry humor that readers will appreciate and come back to again and again. Now with updated statistics, and a new preface, Living Whole Without a Better Half includes study questions that make it a great Bible study or small group resource.

My Thoughts:

“If there’s not joy in singleness then there won’t be joy in marriage either.  Joy is not the fruit of “favorable” circumstances.  Rather, it’s the outpouring of a contented heart.” (p.44)

Wendy Widder’s book, Living Whole without a Better Half, ultimately ties the key thoughts to the life of a person who is not married and the trials brought about by that fact.  However, this book is SO MUCH more that living single in a couple’s world!  This is a meat and potatoes Bible study centered around the lives of Abraham, Noah, Moses, Jacob, Joseph, and many others!  Wendy is a gifted Bible scholar, and she brings her knowledge and enthusiasm about what God has taught her into each chapter of this book!

Each chapter has a specific focus such as:  Living in the Unknown, Living Through Pain, Living with Perseverance and Living with Purpose.  At the end of each chapter are questions to further explore God’s Word.  I come to this book from the “single –again” point of view.  At the end of 23-years of marriage, I still find this book to be packed with daily applicable truths that will strengthen my own walk with Christ.  This book is a treasure trove!!  I’ve highlighted, book marked and made notes…it is RICH!!

So, whether you find yourself single in a couple’s world, or even if you are married, this book as a LOT to offer!  It would make an excellent personal Bible study or a small group guide!! I HIGHLY recommend this book!!

About the Author:

Wendy Widder spent most of her twenties teaching elementary students and waiting to get married. Then she decided life was happening without her, so she started a collection of graduate degrees in Bible, theology, and ancient languages. After twelve years, five advisors, three schools, two states, and two continents, she emerged from the ivory tower and found herself in mid-life, learning new ways to live whole without a better half. She is also the author of A Match Made in Heaven: How Singles and the Church Can Live Happily Ever After (Kregel, 2003) and a book she coauthored with her father to help Christian teachers integrate a biblical worldview into their courses. Wendy blogs at wendywidder.com.