Becoming A Woman Of Excellence


Tyndale has just released a revised and updated 30th Anniversary Edition of Cynthia Heald's classic, Becoming a Woman of Excellence. I don't know why, but I was expecting this to be a big, weighty tome of a book. However, it's just a small, slim paperback, and very accessible. It's got a beautifully redesigned cover that's very peaceful and soothing. Becoming a Woman of Excellence is a Bible study stemming from Ruth 3:11 - "All my people in the city know that you are a woman of excellence.". This 11-part series is perfect for personal or group study. It's divided into four sections (The Goal, The Cost, The Prize, The Praise) and the topics included are Excellence: A Goal Worth Pursuing, Excellence: God's Character, Excellence: Becoming Like Christ, Excellence: Rooted In Surrender, Excellence: Exemplified By Obedience, Excellence: Molded By Discipline, Excellence: Guarded By Discretion, Excellence: Made Precious By A Gentle And Quiet Spirit, Excellence: Perfected By Purity, Excellence: Proclaimed By Wisdom, and Excellence: Portrayed In The Life Of A Godly Woman. The back cover reads:

"Society beckons us to succeed―to achieve excellence in our appearance, our earning power, our family life. God Himself also beckons us to be women of excellence. But what exactly is He asking? If you’re hungry for God’s perspective on success in a society that bombards you with conflicting demands, feed on the truths of God’s Word that you’ll discover in these pages. You will not only learn to “approve the things that are excellent” but will also experience the joy of becoming God’s woman of excellence. This bestselling topical Bible study has helped over one million women over the past 30 years, and is newly revised and updated so today’s women can discover who God designed them to be in this day and age. Written by Navigator author and Bible teacher Cynthia Heald, the 11 sessions in this Bible study explore what your identity in Christ is and how you can best serve Him."

I'm working through Becoming A Woman Of Excellence on my own. I've been enjoying and appreciating learning about excellence through the wise words of Cynthia Heald. Each chapter includes a brief opening statement about the topic, questions to answer, Scriptures to look up and then answer questions about, a "Thoughts And Reflections From An Older Woman" exposition from Cynthia's point of view for the 30th anniversary edition, an area of personal thoughts and reflections to fill out, and a Scripture verse to memorize. There are also some great quotes sprinkled throughout. This is a really great in-depth study about becoming a virtuous woman, or a woman of excellence. I also really like the emphasis on Scripture memorization. Cynthia rightly writes that one of the most important things we can do for our Christian walk is to memorize the Scriptures. I also enjoyed her simple challenge to constantly keep this question in the front of your mind: "What would a woman of excellence do?" or, "How would a woman of excellence respond?". I have been meditating on this challenge and it's truly helped me. I highly recommend this Bible study to every Christian woman - it's appropriate for both married and single women alike. I'm also planning to check out her other Bible studies as well, because I've enjoyed this one so much.

I received a copy of this book from Tyndale in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

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