Do The Next Thing
The Divine Proverb Of Streusel by Sara Brunsvold is a most charming contemporary Christian novel that I just could not put down. It is a novel that will warm hearts, soothe souls and impart wisdom and love.
The novel is about love and lessons in how to love as God loves us.
Following her parents divorce, twenty something Nikki spends her summer on her uncle Will’s family farm, as she tries to process events. It is here that she finds an old family notebook full of recipes and proverbs. As she works through the recipes, she learns God’s lessons for life and love.
Being hurt deeply has resulted in Nikki turning inwards and shutting others out, especially her father, whom she sees as the source of all her pain. “Self protection was never a savior from pain. Only forgiveness could be.” Imprisoning herself in bitterness is not living life as God intended. God wants us to live in freedom. Only by forgiving can we achieve this. Forgiveness is beneficial to us and to those we forgive. “Lay down the bitterness and trust the Lord’s protecting arm to save you”. Being safe in God’s arms is the best place to be.
We need to build our relationship with God. We need firm foundations in faith in order to sustain us through the tough times. Start the day with God, not social media or the news. “Scripture at sunrise … Every morning, he said thank-you to the Creator of all.” We need to practice having a grateful heart. As Pollyanna did, we need to play the glad game.
It is important to have people who will help to sustain our faith. “Every Thursday morning before students arrived [they had] a ‘Grab and Grace session’ … the life-giving thirty minutes of prayer and mentoring.” We need others who are older in faith to help us. And we, in turn, need to help those who are younger in faith. We were never meant to walk the road alone.
Stories are a great way to connect the generations. Stories inform us as to what has gone before. Lessons from the past can help us in our present walk.
Everyday we face choices. “You can’t do anything about his choices… only your own.” We are only responsible for our choices, and how we react to the choices of others.
We are called to show God’s love to a hurting world. “Love was heard in actions.” Sometimes it is not what we say that is heard, but it is a connection of hearts. “She had a way of hearing the words but listening to the heart.”
Prayer is our lifeline to God. “We’ll pray for God to work where we can’t.” Sometimes all we can do in situations is to hand them over to God and watch Him work. God does not always lift us out of our situations but He does calm the raging storms around us. We can experience His peace in the middle of our difficult circumstances.
All the characters were well drawn, realistic and easy to empathise with. We can perfectly understand the emotions of Nikki as she navigates life, learning from those around her, and from those long gone.
The town is very community-minded, helping to support those in need. The church is at the heart of the community. It functions as Jesus intended it to.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Divine Proverb Of Streusel. There were lessons for us all. I loved the inclusion of the recipes too. I am sorry that the book has ended. It was a delicious escape for a few hours.
I received a free copy from the publishers. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.
JULIA WILSON
