A God for all Seasons, Part II

I'm continuing today with my thoughts on a wonderful book that I've read: Patti Tingen's A God for all Seasons. Yesterday I began to tell you about her chapter for December . . .

In the "winter" that I mentioned, we were dealing with the estrangement of one of our children. Some of you prayed with us for that child's return, and for that I will always be grateful. We were about to be hit again.
We found that another member of our family was suffering from severe health issues. It seemed darker and colder than ever. Patti and her husband had troubles that kept them in a very long "winter" and she describes it this way in the book:

"...nothing can compare to the gut-wrenching process of drawing near, pressing in, and clutching onto God when little else is left. Those are the times when one flicker of flame, one spark of light, one glimmer of hope can bring enough courage to continue on... .....Sometimes our Lord shines through boldly...."

For us, that is very familiar; it was at this time that God moved in our lives and our child began the slow process of gradually opening up and welcoming us back into the life we'd been torn from. Each tentative step was a flicker of hope, a balm to our souls. Those gifts from God brought hope squarely back into our souls. And little by little, step by step, we pieced together the relationship with our child. And we praised God for His mercy, and for knowing how much we could stand, and how much we could handle. The other family member that I mentioned is still ill, but we sometimes see some sparks and flickers there, and we know that with God all things are possible!

I'd like to acquaint you with another of Patti's chapters in this book: May, a time to trust. She writes:

"Only God can make something beautiful and new from our splintered dreams and lost hopes. He can put the pieces of our broken hearts back together again. If only we will let Him. If only we will dare to trust Him one more time."

This rings true for me, too. I ranted and railed and fussed at God, and told Him I just didn't see what good could come from the heartaches. And then, after our child returned, He showed me. He allowed me to minister to someone whose child had walked away from them. He honored me with the opportunity to comfort another aching heart. That was the good. I just had to trust Him.

Just as Patti Tingen says on the back cover of her wonderful book:

"As nature's seasons change, so too do the seasons of our soul. But God's love never changes. He is with us through every season of our lives. Through times of sorrow, times of joy; times of plenty, times of want; times of longing, times of contentment -- God's love never leaves us."

Amen!

I hope that you will consider getting a copy of Patti's book, A God for all Seasons, for your own study. I truly believe that you will be blessed by it, as I was.

Patti Tingen provided me with a link to a trailer for the book, and also a giveaway! Click on those and check them out!

(The author provided me with a copy of the book, but I have provided this review and my thoughts as an honest assessment of the book, and I've not been compensated in any way.)