The Masterpiece

Reclaiming Charity by Marion Ueckermann is a marvellous contemporary Christian novel. It is part of The Potter’s House series but can be read as a stand-alone.

Marion Ueckermann writes about relevant issues with realistic characters. Some face their own demons. All are likable.

The past has a way of intruding on the present if we let it. Within a relationship there should be nothing hidden. We need to know what motivates and drives behaviour.

Within the novel there is a marriage in trouble. Marion Ueckermann pulls no punches. She shows the ups and downs of a relationship which has very high highs and very low lows. The fall out reaches a teenage daughter who at times seems wiser than her parents. The reader feels her pain as she would hate to have to choose between them.

In contrast we have a Heavenly Father who can be trusted. He loves us completely and will never let us down. No one is ever out of reach of his love. “He felt so unworthy to be saved.” And this is where grace steps in – we receive what we do not deserve.

Prayer is important. “Lord, help me, she prayed, not knowing if God would answer.” God always answers prayers. He knows the longings of our hearts.

We see the damage of letting the sun go down on our anger. The avoidance tactic never works. We must face and work through our issues.

We all face choices in life. Poor choices result in poor consequences. The best choice we can ever make is to turn our lives over to God. “I will choose to trust You.” God can always be trusted especially in times of crisis and darkness.

Jesus is the Master Painter. He paints the skies and He paints our lives.

Reclaiming Charity is a fabulous read. Once again Marion Ueckermann has created characters that are easy to identify with. They are not perfect but realistically flawed. Marion Ueckermann does not present us with fairy tales but with stories of gritty issues that may affect us. She shows that life is not always smooth but that God is always faithful..

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

JULIA WILSON