“Oh, you don’t have a boyfriend? But you’re so pretty and nice.”
“You aren’t married yet?”
These are the types of statements that Rachael Weisinger wishes she received a dollar for every time she hears them. If you’re a single woman, you may have experienced them, too. And I must admit, they’re very common remarks I’ve heard plenty of times myself. That’s one of the reasons I devoured Weisinger’s debut book Gluten-Free Mac & Cheese.
Singleness seems like a monumental failure in a lot of ways. It can make you question your self-worth and potentially doubt God’s goodness and ability to give us good gifts. While I think this blonde beauty has a heart of gold, a ravishing smile, and a sense of humor that could swoon the whole crowd, she questioned herself and couldn’t figure out why she was still standing on the sidelines waiting her turn to be razzled and dazzled.
But Rachael Weisinger didn’t desire a simple summer fling or a mediocre high-school chase. She wanted a truly intimate connection with a man that was specially chosen for her. It’s one thing to eat and enjoy a chocolate bar. It’s another thing to win the golden ticket inside the wrapper.
And in her quest to seek God’s heart for her future spouse, she learned that His best is worth waiting for. Using personal experience, Scripture, and even a little bit of Greek mythology, Weisinger takes a successful swing at breaking down the negative connotations attached to singleness and expressing the reasons it’s normal to want that hand to hold.
In addition to expanding my wealth of knowledge by reading this cleverly written narrative, I was tearing up and laughing until my stomach hurt. This breakout author’s vulnerability and relatability are undeniable, and her impeccable wit breaks through some of the tough yet impactful moments throughout each chapter. Often, the truth she shares is packaged in air-tight metaphors and similes. These will hit close to home for any woman seeking a future spouse and growing weary of opinions from a twisted culture and ever-shifting church ideals.
Each chapter ends with a prayer and reflection questions that will allow the reader an opportunity to grow, understand herself on a deeper level, and confidently surrender her heart to the Lord in trust that He will fulfill her.
Please enjoy an excerpt from Weisinger’s Gluten-Free Mac & Cheese below:
Only a few people knew that Jeremy and I had an unspoken agreement. He knew I was looking for a man of God, and I knew he had no plans to make God his God. We never delved into a relationship, never committed ourselves to one another. But whenever we happened to be in the same town, we never could stay apart. We couldn’t help wanting tastes of being together. It was like playing an adult version of make-believe. And I reveled in it. I kissed him on the cheek and held his hand in the car ride home. I told myself that we weren’t really doing anything, so it wouldn’t hurt that badly.
Until I got on the plane the next day and flew back home. Until, days later, I saw a video of him on Snapchat dancing with another girl in a bar. Until I went to work on Monday and realized that, despite feeling the exact opposite—there was no one committed to me.
The pain settled all over my body, slowly, like a common cold. At first, it felt just like a tickle in my throat before it developed into a full-body experience. Oh, what hurts exactly? My throat and eyes and nose and shoulders—and every time I swallow, it feels like hell.
It took me several months to get over Jeremy and start thinking about someone else. It took months before I felt healthy again—so healthy, in fact, that I’d forgotten the feeling of being sick. When it was time to travel to Vermont and see my old friends again, you’d think I would have remembered August’s pain. You’d think I would have used September’s grieving period to say, “No, Rachael. You’re not going back down that road again!”
But Jeremy said he couldn’t wait to see me. Jeremy said that he was applying to jobs near me because he couldn’t stand being this far apart. Jeremy said there was no other girl like me in the world, and every time he tried to find one, he failed. Despite the several months of pain in between each date, I kept going back. As stupid as it sounds and as foolish as it seems, we kept going back for the four minutes of pleasure.
I’ll never forget the evening he called when I was home alone. He said he missed me. He’d been thinking about me. He wanted to know if I’d made it back to South Carolina okay.
“Jeremy,” I answered. “You know I love talking to you. But this hurts us down the road. We can’t be together, and tomorrow you’ll feel—”
“That’s future Jeremy’s problem,” he sighed. “Let me enjoy talking to you right now.”
Because that’s the thing about sin. Sometimes, your stomach doesn’t hurt for four minutes.
Purchase your copy of Gluten-Free Mac & Cheese from the Kingdom Winds Marketplace today!
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