First, gentle reader, an apology. I have been remiss and have failed to mention the name of the author. Anne Ortlund was a writer and speaker and one of the founders of Renewal Ministries. She passed away in 2013. Her husband has a wikipedia entry, but she does not. I haven’t read beyond the prefatory matter of the book, but this already irritates me on her behalf–she wrote books and music, majored in organ (as in the pipe organ), spoke at conferences…one would think she would merit an entry or at least a link to a stub. Part of me wonders if it would have irritated her. Part of me expects the book to tell me it is my place to be mentioned as the helpmate but not have an entry in my own right. But I digress…

As with many books of this nature, this one begins with what I call the obligatory ‘why I wrote this book’ section. This one has three of them. I know, right? I was skeptical, too, but it actually worked for me. Are we ready to dive in?

The book opens with a doctor telling her she needs a hysterectomy. Whoa. On the page, at least, this is an inconvenience that needs to be scheduled in around conference speaking, overseas travel, and Christmas card photos. How did she feel about this? Even now, there are many who equate a woman’s worth with her ability to bear children. Granted, she would have been in her fifties and likely past her childbearing years (yes, I know, the miracles of modern medicine), but still.

Ortlund explains her calm in the next part: Her body is God’s. God can do with it what God wills. Okay…so no cause to worry or be anxious. No fretting, worrying, pouting, or stewing allowed. Do men ‘pout’ or ‘fret’? Don’t get me wrong, I’m on board with no pouting. It’s annoying. But it also minimizes the point I think she’s trying to make: don’t be anxious; don’t fall into the ‘what-if’ trap. And here’s where she make the first connection to discipline and, wait for it…it’s discipline of the–

Mind. Did you see that one coming? I didn’t. I’m hoping the book talks more about this because I could use some more mental discipline. And then we’re back to what I fear I’ll be reading a lot of in the near future: “May I relax and cuddle my feminine self in the pink fluffy stuff which is your (God’s) will for me” (Ortlund, Disciplines of the Beautiful Woman, 12). Meh. Why, in the name of all that’s holy, is God’s will PINK?!? And fluffy? Fluffy is not what comes to mind when I think of, say, the book of Judges or Revelation.

In the third and final part Ortlund breaks the fourth wall and speaks directly to the reader–not some abstract ‘you’ like she’s speaking over your head but directly at you–as she explains her purpose in writing this book: She wants to help the reader become the best version of herself and unlock her potential. Sounds familiar and not out of place in a 21st-century self-help book. That same 21st-century perspective, however, makes the final paragraph more poignant.

“And this is the woman’s day. Whoever you are–young, old, married, single, mother or not, working woman, housewife–you were never taken more seriously by your world. This is your day” (Ortlund, Disciplines of the Beautiful Woman, 16).