Reclamation

All The Lost Years by Colleen Scheid is a powerful contemporary Christian novel that I thoroughly enjoyed. It is part of the Pleasant Hill series but can be read as a stand-alone.

Within the book we learn about the power of God’s love to redeem and restore. No one is ever too far from Him. If we journey down the wrong path, there is always the choice to turn round and return to Him. The leading character senses that she has moved far from God. “She couldn’t even feel Him in church.” Even if we don’t ‘feel’ God. He is always beside us.

There is a desire to return. “A yearning for that Jesus who healed broken people… She already went to church, read her Bible, and prayed. What else could she do?” When we want more of God, we need to come to Him with open arms, ready to receive. “This driven quality, this feeling like you aren’t good enough unless you bust your butt… That’s not what God thinks about you.” God wants us to come as we are, and He will restore us.

We don’t just meet God in church on Sundays. He is everywhere. “Nature was Lauren’s connection to God.” God meets us where we are.

Within the novel people need rescuing from their situations. We learn that “Only God has the power to rescue people.” We must “Not be afraid of a messy past. Look for what God’s doing now.” God takes our messes and turns them into masterpieces. “God’s love is bigger than my mess.”