The Protester & The Soldier

Once Upon A Springtime by Scott R Rezer is a charming contemporary Christian novella that I absolutely loved.

The tale warmed my heart as I read about a God who loves us too much to leave us in our situations. “He just wants us… to come to Him as a child seeking their father.” God is our Heavenly Father who loves us unconditionally.

Our earthly parents may let us down but God never will. “Regardless of your beginning, you are a miracle of God.” God will never leave us alone. He walks alongside us from the moment of conception to our last breath.

A character has walked away from God. “I learned to hate God for what He did to my family.” Hate is negative. Hate destroys us. God did not do anything to hurt a family. He walked beside each member in their pain. A character finds it easier to blame God than to blame her earthly parents for their lifestyle choices. “Where was He when my sister Clare died?”… “He was standing right beside you.” God walks beside us in our pain, but often our hurt blinds us from ‘seeing’ God.

Prayer is important. “God heard the intent of my heart more than the words of my lips.”  God knows the cry of our hearts.

The novella is set in 1967. “The world was changing…They [women] could seize their opportunities and make a life for themselves.” The swinging sixties brought change. We join the lead character as she is heading to protest against the Vietnam war. It was a war that no-one wanted. The lead male character has been called to the draft. He feels it is his duty to go.

God puts people across our paths for a reason. As the protester and the soldier meet, they find a connection. They are both part of God’s plan as the one leads the other to Jesus.

I thoroughly enjoyed Once Upon A Springtime. It was a most delightful read.

I will leave the final word with a lead character. It is powerful in its simplicity:

“I’m not perfect… Just forgiven.”

JULIA WILSON