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10 Women Who Overcame Their Past
This book contains the stories of ten women whose circumstances and choices led them to a place that seemed far removed from the fruitful, joy-filled life we are called to live in Christ. But each of their stories is a testament to the work God does through his imperfect children. Their stories will encourage and inspire, and remind you that you are not alone in your struggles.
The names of some of these women are well-known, some are less so. The first five stories are about relationships with other people; the next five stories are about inner struggles.
Overcoming Sexual Sin & Identity - Rosaria Butterfield
Difficult Marriage and Divorce - Joy Davidman
Bereavement - Elisabeth Elliot
Singleness - Betsie & Corrie ten Boom
Overcoming with Forgiveness - Betsie & Corrie ten Boom
Eating Disorders - Christie Dondero Bettwy
Illness - Susannah Spurgeon
False Beliefs - Doreen Virtue
Self-Righteousness - Susanna Wesley
The Fear of Man - Sarah Edwards
Through exploring how other women of Christ's Kingdom began anew in him, you will be encouraged on your own path of joy and freedom. Although you may not be in the same position as these women, there are things we can learn from each of them. In every chapter, MacLeod focuses on bearing fruit for Christ even in these circumstances and includes questions to think through and discuss how the truths learned by these women could be applied to your own life.
The names of some of these women are well-known, some are less so. The first five stories are about relationships with other people; the next five stories are about inner struggles.
Overcoming Sexual Sin & Identity - Rosaria Butterfield
Difficult Marriage and Divorce - Joy Davidman
Bereavement - Elisabeth Elliot
Singleness - Betsie & Corrie ten Boom
Overcoming with Forgiveness - Betsie & Corrie ten Boom
Eating Disorders - Christie Dondero Bettwy
Illness - Susannah Spurgeon
False Beliefs - Doreen Virtue
Self-Righteousness - Susanna Wesley
The Fear of Man - Sarah Edwards
Through exploring how other women of Christ's Kingdom began anew in him, you will be encouraged on your own path of joy and freedom. Although you may not be in the same position as these women, there are things we can learn from each of them. In every chapter, MacLeod focuses on bearing fruit for Christ even in these circumstances and includes questions to think through and discuss how the truths learned by these women could be applied to your own life.
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2022
11 people are currently reading
21 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 3, 2022
[Disclosure: I was provided with a free author copy of this book. There was no obligation to review it.]
The cover of this book makes it look a lot drier than it is. I enjoyed it more than I expected and found it valuable, too. There was lot of thought-provoking material, and action-provoking material, too, which is always a good sign in a Christian book.
I didn't read this in order but went to the chapters that seemed most relevant first. I did read all of the chapters in the end, though, and found something valuable in each one. In fact, the chapter on forgiveness changed my mind about the fate of the Ten Boom sisters, something I had always found hard to come to terms with.
I knew something about four of the women covered (Susannah Wesley, the Ten Booms, Joy Davidman). Some of the others were wives of well-known Christians but I knew little or nothing about them in their own right (Elizabeth Elliot, Susannah Sprugeon, Sarah Edwards). Others I hadn't heard of at all, and I think I enjoyed those chapters best (Rosaria Butterfield, Doreen Virtue, Christie Dondero Bettwy).
A lot of the book is their own words about themselves and their situation, and then Dayspring adds Biblical context and application. It would be a good book for a Christian study group, but (being an introvert) I preferred reading it alone and mulling over the questions myself.
I'm not convinced by the reluctance to apply the description 'mystic' to Sarah Edwards - Dayspring seems to think it's a pejorative term and I disagree - but that's a small thing. She's also over-fond of the word 'winsome', which is not nearly as commonplace in UK English as it seems to be in the US. But these are tiny niggles in what is overall a very interesting and valuable book.
The cover of this book makes it look a lot drier than it is. I enjoyed it more than I expected and found it valuable, too. There was lot of thought-provoking material, and action-provoking material, too, which is always a good sign in a Christian book.
I didn't read this in order but went to the chapters that seemed most relevant first. I did read all of the chapters in the end, though, and found something valuable in each one. In fact, the chapter on forgiveness changed my mind about the fate of the Ten Boom sisters, something I had always found hard to come to terms with.
I knew something about four of the women covered (Susannah Wesley, the Ten Booms, Joy Davidman). Some of the others were wives of well-known Christians but I knew little or nothing about them in their own right (Elizabeth Elliot, Susannah Sprugeon, Sarah Edwards). Others I hadn't heard of at all, and I think I enjoyed those chapters best (Rosaria Butterfield, Doreen Virtue, Christie Dondero Bettwy).
A lot of the book is their own words about themselves and their situation, and then Dayspring adds Biblical context and application. It would be a good book for a Christian study group, but (being an introvert) I preferred reading it alone and mulling over the questions myself.
I'm not convinced by the reluctance to apply the description 'mystic' to Sarah Edwards - Dayspring seems to think it's a pejorative term and I disagree - but that's a small thing. She's also over-fond of the word 'winsome', which is not nearly as commonplace in UK English as it seems to be in the US. But these are tiny niggles in what is overall a very interesting and valuable book.
October 19, 2022
Very helpful to read about real women with real struggles, what God has to say about them and how He uses us despite them. Found the chapters on forgiveness, eating disorders and illness particularly impactful
April 30, 2025
I enjoy finding collections of biographies that can give the reader an insight into lots of different people. It means we can draw from a wide range of examples to be inspired and challenged by. Often we find encouragement for many different aspects of our lives and realise that we are not alone in what we have experienced. Learning more about these ten women was fantastic, especially as they are from a range of backgrounds, places and historical times.
I did sometimes stumble over whether I was hearing about the thoughts and words of the women themselves, or whether the author was sharing her own perspectives on their situations. There was a lot of commentary that took the original material and produced many other lines of thought and principles gleaned from it, and I felt that much of it wasn’t necessary. The stories themselves carried enormous weight and I would’ve liked to hear more from the subjects themselves, with just a little guidance from the author.
A similar book I have enjoyed along the same style is ‘50 Women Every Christian Should Know’ by Michelle DeRusha. Both DeRusha and Macleod have produced valuable works by gathering these stories and making them accessible to modern day readers to cross time and distance to bring their hard-won experiences into our own lives.
I did sometimes stumble over whether I was hearing about the thoughts and words of the women themselves, or whether the author was sharing her own perspectives on their situations. There was a lot of commentary that took the original material and produced many other lines of thought and principles gleaned from it, and I felt that much of it wasn’t necessary. The stories themselves carried enormous weight and I would’ve liked to hear more from the subjects themselves, with just a little guidance from the author.
A similar book I have enjoyed along the same style is ‘50 Women Every Christian Should Know’ by Michelle DeRusha. Both DeRusha and Macleod have produced valuable works by gathering these stories and making them accessible to modern day readers to cross time and distance to bring their hard-won experiences into our own lives.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews