All To Jesus I Surrender

A Matter Of Control by J.E. Solinski is a powerful Christian contemporary novel set in Detroit. The focus of the story is some teens and their teacher.

The area is one of poverty and drugs. It is a black neighbourhood where the residents are invisible to many. One teacher sees all her students. She wants to help them to achieve and succeed in spite of their backgrounds. She can be seen as a motif for God who also sees us all and longs for us to live our best lives.

It is ironic that with her huge heart, the teacher fails to see her own son. Having given him all material comforts she fails to see the hurting personality that lies beneath.

The characters are all well drawn and realistic. The reader’s heart breaks for those who are trapped through no fault of their own. “A young man who yearned to be loved, and wanted to learn.” No one is truly ‘bad’ but some have made bad choices even though they have hearts of gold and eyes that see others.

Knowing Jesus alters lives. “Despite the poverty that surround them, they had such a sense of peace.” The richest people are those whose hearts are fully surrendered to Jesus.

We learn the importance of being truthful. A character believes that he is dumb. Words spoken over him have lodged inside. The truth is, he is dyslexic and can be helped. Embarrassed at being unable to read at sixteen years old, he hides his lessons from his parents and peers. It is a heavy burden to bear. The reader longs for him to release his burden and live free.

The consequences of poor choices do not just affect us. The fallout catches those who are around us.

Prayer is our hotline to God. When we pray God can hear our hearts even when there are no words. “Alex didn’t know what to pray, so he just kept saying the same thing over and over. ‘Please, God, no’.”

A Matter Of Control was such a powerful read. We learn that knowing God does not prevent the storms of life but when they hit, we can rest assured that Jesus is in the boat with us.

I cannot praise and recommend A Matter Of Control highly enough. My words do not do it justice. I urge you to buy the book and immerse yourself within as you see the change of lives and hearts as they come to know Jesus.

I received a free copy of the book from the author. All opinions are my own.

JULIA WILSON