A Woman's Wisdom by Lydia Brownback

Today I am happy to have my sweet friend Melissa from MelissaDeming.com share a book review with us that I am sure will interest you! Thank you for taking the time to share this review and recommendation with us Melissa; I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy!

Women’s author and speaker Lydia Brownback pulls no punches in her new book, A Woman’s Wisdom: How the Book of Proverbs Speaks to Everything. Written for the single career woman just as much as the married mother of four, Brownback addresses culturally touchy subjects such as female sexuality, physical appearance, and financial prowess with depth, honesty, and Scriptural insight. For that reason, A Woman’s Wisdom is one of the most significant works for Christian women on the market today.

Summary: Without compiling a “to-do” or “to-be” list for women, Brownback uncovers the main thesis of the book of Proverbs: true wisdom comes from fear of the Lord and filters down to every aspect of a woman’s life. Despite being originally written for a male audience, the author highlights Proverb’s delineation of wise and foolish choices for women – choices that span both time and culture. The book culminates with an enlightening (and realistic!) analysis of the Proverbs 31 Woman, who is revealed as the portrait of wisdom.

Why I like the book: 

• The author helps women recognize foolishness in themselves just as much as it directs them to make wise choices ordered around biblical priorities.
• The author helps the reader reconcile the wisdom found in the book of Proverbs with the person and work of Jesus Christ, who is Wisdom. Brownback successfully demonstrates that Christ is the lynchpin for applying the book of Proverbs to everyday life.
• The author fleshes out points of application from the book of Proverbs for women seeking wisdom for a variety of life issues including: relationships, freedom, careers, marriage and sex, financial guidance, parenting, time management, spiritual growth and more.

Because I discovered my own need for wisdom on each page of this book, I gave a copy to a friend who recently graduated from high school. A young woman entering collegiate life is immediately propelled into a fast-paced journey full of dangerous crossroads. And while my friend is a committed follower of Christ (much more committed than I was at her age), I wanted to affirm the wise choices she had made thus far in her life.

So, the women in our church hosted a graduation party for her ordered around Brownback’s presentation of biblical wisdom. Instead of passing along our own words of advice (because who wants to hear that anyway?), we printed out verses from Proverbs with a one-sentence summary from the book.

What resulted was a powerful affirmation of God’s leading in our friend’s life. God orchestrated which verses were read out loud by which women.  Some had additional testimonies to share of God’s goodness and provision based on the Scripture they received. For others, the verses confirmed wise or even foolish choices they made during college and the grace God extended to them to cope with the consequences of their actions.

So, despite turning into a spontaneous Bible study, the graduation party was the best kind. Instead of a celebration of personal achievement, the party became a celebration of God’s activity in the life of a young woman committed to fearing Him above all else. We closed the party with a special prayer asking for Christ to fill our friend with His wisdom.

At the end of the party, I watched as my young friend gather up the verses as a keepsake. I have no doubt that she will be faced with difficult challenges as she begins her new life away from her family and church home. But I have every hope that through Christ, who is her wisdom, she will continue to be strengthened and sustained by His Word.

“Wisdom is a person, and wise is what we become through our union with him.” (Lydia Brownback, A Woman’s Wisdom)