“Girls Gone Wild” may have been popular in the 90s, but wild girls have been around as long as sin has existed. While the physical look of the Girl-Gone-Wild has morphed over every decade, the heart of the Wild One is rather predictable. Oftentimes, the best way to define what one should strive to be is best explained by illuminating behaviors one should shun.

The Bible abounds with warnings intended to steer God’s children away from danger and towards a place of blessing. God intentionally included a plethora of wicked, dishonorable, and destructive women throughout the narrative of His-Story. If we consider the omniscient and sovereign character of God, we should be driven to purposefully analyze each one of these ladies and their circumstances. Noting both the iniquitous practices as well as the contrasting virtuous characteristics highlighted, a moral compass is developed within the reader’s conscience.

Mary Kassian chooses to focus on the text found in Proverbs 7. The woman referred to as the “Proverbs 31 Woman” is likely a more common reference for most of us. We read about her in our greeting cards and we hear her sermon preached every Mother’s Day. This woman presents a standard that can inevitably discourage even the most righteous of women. The Proverbs 7 woman, however, is ironically more relatable. By relatable, I don’t mean to commend her sinful qualities or corrupt gestures. I simply mean that many of us would stand guilty alongside her if we were to recount our lives before our judge.

The author successfully created a guide for women of all ages. With this book, I have led a small group bible study with ladies in various seasons of life; and I have joined my 13-year-old daughter in a mother-daughter study. Both proved to be equally engaging and beneficial.

Yes, I may have had to explain to my daughter what a thong was. And yes, I may have been pressed to openly discuss possible sexual temptations with a group of ladies, but the personal accountability of both was necessary and liberating. Our Heavenly Father knows when we are able to prayerfully discuss hard things, confess our faults and vulnerabilities, and commit to encouraging one another, we receive strength to escape the tempter's snare.

In her contrast of Wild and Wise, one is essentially asked to take a personal inventory of their life. As the Spirit convicts, one is encouraged to make appropriate adjustments to forgo the immoral actions, that could be detrimental to self and others, and expectantly choose to engage in the wisdom the Lord provides for those who desire to follow Christ.

This generation of girls (women alike) needs more unfiltered truth. Traditional teachings of womanhood aren’t necessarily equivalent to the admonishings of biblical womanhood. Kassian beautifully encapsulates the very essence of a “Girl Gone Wise” in a girl who surrenders fully to Christ and humbly walks in His presence. Not one time does she give an impression that there is such a thing as a “Girl Gone Perfect.” We are all “Girls in Need of Redemption.”