God’s Perfect Timing

Since You’ve Been Gone by Tari Faris is a delightful contemporary Christian novel. It is the third book in the Restoring Heritage series but can be read as a stand-alone.

There is the theme of dreams. We all have them. We need to pursue our own dream and not take on the dreams of others. We need to make our own paths.

Like-wise “she was no longer defined by her past or her father’s choices.” We are defined by who we are in Jesus.

We all have a past. Sometimes we view our shared pasts in a different way to others. We were so involved in our feelings and had a fear of rejection that we fail to see what is staring us in the face.

Friends are important. We all need friends who will support and encourage us.

There are some misunderstandings in life. We see something but fail to interpret it correctly. We judge when we should be loving. My heart broke for a character who as a teen wore make-up to disguise the bruises… and no one saw the hurting teen beneath.

Hurts in the past may mean we wall up our heart. “Walling yourself up doesn’t make you safer. Just lonelier.” We live in a prison of our own making. We need to take a chance and let love in. “Love is letting someone in and trusting them even though they have the potential to break your heart.”

There is the theme of fathers – some good, some bad. We must not make the mistake of judging God with the characteristics of our own fathers. “If she couldn’t make this work, God was bound to give up on her for good.”. God is the perfect Father. He can be trusted. He will never give up on us. We can trust in His plans and in His timing for our lives.

Grief hurts, no matter how many years have passed. “I don’t think that grief ever goes away. It just looks different.”

Since You’ve Been Gone was a charming read with some important godly lessons for us all. I loved it.

I received a free copy via Net Galley. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.

JULIA WILSON