“A Best Yes is you playing your part. If you know it and believe it, you’ll live it.”

With these words, best-selling author and president of Proverbs 31 Ministries Lysa TerKeurst invites readers to join her on a journey of seeking wisdom in everyday choices. Using humor to enhance her warm and witty writing style, readers will feel as though they are sharing a cup of latte while chatting with Lysa, listening as she shares gentle gems of wisdom. Published by Thomas Nelson in the summer of 2014, The Best Yes is destined for a place of honor on the bookshelves of women around the world – women of all ages, circumstances, and walks of life.

The foundational concepts of The Best Yes focus on the power of two small words – ‘yes’ and ‘no’. As godly women, we often seem to believe that God wants us to say yes to everything that is asked of us… But Lysa reveals this simply isn’t true. Saying no to lesser things doesn’t mean we aren’t operating in love, but opens the door for amazing, incredible, divine opportunities for us to give our Best Yeses. As Lysa points out, “Never is a woman so fulfilled as when she chooses to underwhelm her schedule so she can let God overwhelm her soul.”

In order to live in the truth of the Best Yes, we must be ordering our lives according to Biblical wisdom – and so wisdom is another point of focus in the book. According to Lysa, “Knowledge is wisdom that comes from acquiring truth. Insight is wisdom that comes from living out the truth we acquire. Discernment is wisdom that comes from the Holy Spirit’s reminders of that knowledge and insight.” With many personal anecdotes, step-by-step guidelines, and Scripture-based insights, The Best Yes helps readers understand how to begin applying wise decision-making skills to daily life.

The Best Yes is packed to overflowing with gems of truth and direction, and is written with beautiful grace and style. It offers so much more than expected, and contains information that can be applied almost universally. However, occasional portions of the book tend to emphasize the author’s position as a mature, married woman and mother of teenage and young-adult children – and this proves alienating to readers who are not mothers, or even married. Although this is clearly not the author’s intention, when the focus remains for several pages on the roles of wives and mothers, single, younger women may begin to feel detached and lose interest in messages not meant for their current season of life. If these readers can hold on, however, the book is sure to once again whisper a personal truth to their hearts. Overall, The Best Yes is a treasure-trove of Biblical wisdom… And just like a buried treasure, each person who seeks it will discover one or more special jewels meant just for her.

*** This book was provided courtesy of HarperCollins Canada, in exchange for my honest review.   It is available for purchase at bookstores from Thomas Nelson Publishers.

NOTE: The Best Yes book has recently been joined by companion products including a study guide and 6-session video series.  The clip below contains information about the video series, but it will give you an idea of what the book contains, as well.