Christian Book Review: "Redeeming Love" by Francine Rivers - H
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Hello (again) beautiful people! Today I am bringing you something new and special: a book review!
I am so excited to tell you guys all about this book. You know how sometimes something happens to you, and you just know it was from God as a little reminder that yeah, He's still there and He still cares? That's what this book was for me.
It came to me at a time in my life when I was feeling very broken, lost, and uncertain how to continue. But God was looking out for me. He's always looking out for all of us. (And let me just tell you that looking out for me alone is a full-time job because I am the exact definition of a handful. 😂 So God must definitely know what He's doing to be able to look out for all of us at once!)
Okay, enough rambling. The book I will be reviewing for you all today is called Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. *Now insert book's back cover description* 😉
California's gold country, 1850. A time when men sold their souls for a bag of gold and women sold their bodies for a place to sleep.
Angel expects nothing from men but betrayal. Sold into prostitution as a child, she survives by keeping her hatred alive. And what she hates most are the men who use her, leaving her empty and dead inside.
(Sounds pretty deep already, huh? Just wait--it gets better.)
Then she meets Michael Hosea, a man who seeks his Father's heart in everything. Michael obeys God's call to marry Angel and to love her unconditionally. Slowly, day by day, he defies Angel's every bitter expectation, until despite her resistance, her frozen heart begins to thaw.
But with her unexpected softening comes overwhelming feelings of unworthiness and fear. And so Angel runs. Back to the darkness, away from her husband's pursuing love, terrified of the truth she no longer can deny; her final healing must come from the One who loves her even more than Michael does . . . the One who will never let her go.
WOW! What a powerful story, and that's not even the half of it! This book is an interesting retelling of the story of Gomer and Hosea, from the book of Hosea in the Bible.
I know what some of you may be thinking: "The book's description reveals the whole story! What's the point in reading it now?" And I'm telling you that's simply not true. I felt the same way when my Bible study friend recommended it to me at first, and it was for her sake alone that I read it. If I had seen it in the library or in a bookstore, I never would have bothered. (Just another one of those God things, huh?)
As it was, this book had me straight wilin'! 😂 Every next page brought a new twist to the story, keeping me on the edge of my seat to the point where I stayed up almost until one in the morning in order to finish it! And when you think about it . . . that's kind of how each of our individual stories of faith are. Unpredictable, full of twists and turns.
Angel's journey to God was anything but simple. It was full of pain, heartbreak, fear, anger, bitterness, and hardness of heart. Just when she would start to understand one part of God's unfathomable love, the Devil would besiege her with another round of doubt. And let me tell you . . . that was me.
As I've mentioned in other blog posts already, 2018 was a hard year, and the month of December was definitely the most difficult month of the year for me. In a way, I was a lot like Angel: facing fear, doubts, anger, bitterness, rejection, heartbreak, and failure. As I read that book, my heart took the same journey Angel's heart did as she eventually came to understand and accept the type of love God was offering to her.
That's part of the reason I feel like this book is so important and special to Christians everywhere, especially young women. The author perfectly exemplified the doubts and insecurity I was feeling, as well as those of the friend who recommended it to me, as well as I'm sure countless other young Christians who have also read this book. It's relatable, and it hits deep no matter where you are on your faith journey. That's why it's so important.
Along with Angel, there are also many other main characters who are all on their own journeys to Christ. Michael, Angel's husband, learns to keep giving her unconditional love, even when she's absolutely horrible to him. (There were a couple times I would've slapped Angel upside the head! #notgonnalie) Michael's brother-in-law Paul comes to learn about judgment--how we should not judge others, because that is God's job alone. Angel and Michael's neighbor Miriam learns a lesson in patience in waiting for God's timing in romance. And that's only a few of the undeniably relatable characters in Redeeming Love.
I'm just so filled with passion about this book, I can't even put it into words. I wish everyone could read it, could know its message and learn from Angel. 😠IT'S SO GOOD, GUYS! There should be a movie!--Um, on second thought, maybe not. 😂 There's quite a bit of lovemaking, if you know what I mean haha. Just something to be aware of if you want to read this book: it's PG-13. 😇
I'm currently in the process of reading through the book of Hosea in response to reading Redeeming Love. I'm ashamed to admit that I could easily place myself in Israel's place in the book: running from God to idols I think will fulfill me, but will actually leave me broken, as I discovered last year . . . but as the title of Francine Rivers's book so clearly declares, God's love is not only unconditional, but also redeeming. This book made me realize I needed to get on the level with God about the idols that had displaced Him on the throne of my heart.
That's all I have for you guys today! I pray that this review will touch your heart, no matter where you are in your walk with Christ. And if you like to read, I definitely recommend picking up a copy of Redeeming Love when you next get the chance! Drop a comment on this post if you do, or direct message me on Instagram @_peculiar.treasures_ I'd be happy to chat with you about it!
Much love and God bless,
H ✨
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