In God’s Arms

Pieces Of Granite by Brenda Anderson is a most delightful Christian contemporary novel about families. It is part of the Coming Home and the Mosaic Collection series.

I originally read Pieces Of Granite in 2014 and was blown away by it. Reading it again in 2020 I found it equally powerful.

God is the glue who holds our lives together. Sometimes we try to do everything ourselves and we burn out. “God’s not asking us to be strong.” It is when we are weak that we learn to rely on Him. God longs to do life in partnership with us.

Our pasts influence the person we become. Sometimes we are overcome with fear of the past repeating itself in the present. Trying to ignore our fears will never work. We need to face our fears, lift them up to God in prayer and seek help from others.

God never leaves us. “Life had taught [him], sometimes God was absent.” Sometimes we just cannot see, feel or sense God. “Sometimes it’s hard for me to believe that God doesn’t leave us… I don’t see Him in this. I can’t feel Him, hear Him. Nothing.” We may feel abandoned in the valley but the God of the mountaintop is the God of the valley and He will guide us through.

God may not leave us but we walk away from Him when we let other things be the gods of us. “This drug named success.” Success in the world’s eyes is money, status and power. It can be addictive as we chase the next ‘big’ thing to give us a temporary high. We need to build our lives on the Rock who does not let us down – ever. The richest people are those in relationship with God and with others. “Once God gets a hold of us, He doesn’t let go.” – What a comforting thought.

We need to build time into our lives to get to know God. We need places to be still with him when life seems overwhelming. “A perfect place for her to talk to God when life got too tough.” I love the thought that “God lived in the quiet moments.” Do you build peace and quiet into your life so you can be still and hear from God?

Brenda Anderson is not afraid to tackle real life issues. The focus of Pieces Of Granite is Downs Syndrome. Having worked with teens with Downs Syndrome this is a subject that is dear to my heart. It is heart breaking to witness the reactions of some to the news of a Downs Syndrome baby. Every child is perfectly planned by God and exactly as He wanted them to be. No child is ever a ‘mistake’ in God’s eyes.

All the characters were well drawn with realistic flaws. They are easy to empathise with – from the character who tries to do it all to the workaholic to the one led by fear. All are wonderful. I adored three year old Katelyn. Brenda Anderson has perfectly captured all her mannerisms.

Pieces Of Granite is a powerful read about the need we all have for family and for God. I adore it. I adore all Brenda Anderson’s novels. They speak to my heart.

JULIA WILSON