Dreams

Love’s Bright Tomorrow by Naomi Rawlings is a delightful Christian historical adventure. It is the sixth and final book in the Eagle Harbor series but can be read as a stand-alone.

The novel is about dreams. There is the big American dream where poor immigrants believed America was the land of riches and dreams. The reality was often very different. There are individual dreams and there is the dream of God for each and every one of us. If God gives you a dream, pursue it and hearken to His voice.

Sometimes life intervenes and our dreams die. “He’d lost more than just his pa… he’d lost his dreams.” The loss of our loved ones may consume us, keeping us locked into a moment in time.

The theme of loss ties in to the themes of guilt and fear. Guilt immobilises us, especially when it consumes our every waking moment. Guilt is not productive. When we do not deal with our guilt, it becomes a heavy burden that we were never meant to carry. We need to forgive ourselves and move forward.

Fear may be linked to past events. Fear can immobilise us. Fear can even produce physical symptoms that paralyse us. Our fears need to be dealt with before we can move forward into the future.

The novel is about belonging. We all have a desire to belong. “Life is better when you have people to share it with.”

Family is important. There are blood ties and the wider family of God. Some believe their past disqualifies them from God’s family. “I’ve never done much to earn His care or ever be deserving of His love.” None of us deserve God’s love and we cannot earn it. It is a free gift of grace for us all. We must never rule ourselves out when God has ruled us in.

We all have choices. “Their choices aren’t your fault.” We are responsible only for our choices. We cannot take the blame for the poor choices of others.

Prayer is important. It is our hotline to God who always answers. “We cover you in prayer while you’re out.” Prayer offers protection for others.

There are the difficult topics of neglect, abuse, miscarriage, infertility and depression. All are sensitively covered by Naomi Rawlings. No one should ever stay silent and suffer.

This Eagle Harbor series has been fabulous. I am so sorry to see it end and to leave my friends behind. Excited to see what Naomi Rawlings writes next though.

I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

JULIA WILSON