Wisdom to Know, a novel by Elizabeth Maddrey, is the story about Lydia Brown, a preacher's kid who falls from grace by getting pregnant outside of marriage. She had given herself to a man who she thought would marry her, but it became apparent that he had no intention in doing so after she slept with him. Pride, shame, and fear prevent her from revealing the truth to her parents and her friends. She decides to get an abortion to cover up her mistake. However, guilt over her actions drives her into drug use to escape the emotional and spiritual fallout of her decision. Lydia also prostitutes herself in order to finance her drug habit.
Kevin McGregor has been in love with Lydia forever, and sincerely believes that the Lord has told him that Lydia is the woman that he's going to marry. However, he has been repeatedly friend-zoned by Lydia. He is overjoyed at the breakup between Lydia and her latest boyfriend, but senses, along with others in Lydia's family and circle of friends, that she is hiding something important from them.
Although he suspects that Lydia has been physically intimate with her previous boyfriend, he is still open to a future with her. However, the certainty he feels about God intending him to be with Lydia is tested when he finds out the entirety of the depths that Lydia has fallen.
Kevin also doesn't get to discover the entire truth at once; it is unfolded to him gradually over many months while God is working to heal Lydia of the pain in her life. Lydia isn't willing to tell the people closest to her about what she has done because of her fear of seeing their disappointment in her. She also fears being rejected by them. By the time Kevin finds out about the abortion, he has had enough; he feels betrayed beyond what he can bear. Since Lydia has repeatedly acted against the Lord's will, what is it if he rejects the Lord's will over whether he will take Lydia to be his wife?
Wisdom to Know is a story that alludes to the life of Hosea, a prophet who repeatedly took back an unfaithful wife. This is confirmed when Kevin tells the Lord that he is not strong enough to be like the Old Testament prophet, about a third of the way into the novel. I admire Elizabeth Maddrey for writing this story; I don't believe that it is easy to write about the topics that she has covered in this novel. To me, the plot was quite well planned out and developed. She certainly makes the focus of the novel center on the receiving and giving of grace. Lydia struggles to accept grace in light of the mistakes that she has made, and Kevin is challenged to give grace, even when it is difficult for him to do so.
There were a couple of things that didn't work for me about Wisdom to Know which may not matter to other readers. I had a few "show, instead of tell," moments while reading the novel, but those are a matter of preference. Also, there were sections where I found myself stumbling over the dialogue, but I recognize that this could be just my own personal expectations about how people should speak.
On the whole, I was quite impressed with the message of grace in Wisdom to Know. I could understand why Lydia did what she did, and I could also understand the anger and betrayal that Kevin felt when he discovered what Lydia had done. I liked how, in the plot, the Lord prepared Kevin for finding out Lydia's secrets regarding the abortion, because, sometimes, I think that the Lord does this in real life. He'll show His children something so enlightening and absolutely mind-blowing that raises them to the heights, and then they are challenged to actually live it out when they leave the mountain top experiences. In Kevin's case, God showed him the need for ministering to those who have been adversely affected by abortion, and then it became extremely personal when Kevin found out that Lydia was one of those in need. Will Kevin be able to grant Lydia grace so that they can have a future together?
Wisdom to Know is the first novel belonging to the Grant Us Grace Series, which also includes the novels, Courage to Change, and Serenity to Accept.
