Happy 10th Anniversary

Chain of Mercy by Brenda Anderson is a wonderful contemporary Christian romantic novel. It is the first book in the Coming Home series and wow what a series it promises to be. There is just so much in Chain Of Mercy – a fabulous storyline, numerous themes, and a novel that honours God. It is hard to know where to start.

God is very much at the heart of the novel. God is faithful. We may move away from Him but He will never move away from us. Sometimes we use our busyness as an excuse and we drift away from God. “Being busy always kept God at bay.” God will wait in the shadows, waiting lovingly for us to return.

The novel shows the need for grace. We all need grace. And we all need to extend grace. We have all sinned  but there is no condemnation from Jesus, just love and grace.

A major theme in the novel is forgiveness. We all need to receive forgiveness. We all need to give forgiveness. It is often easier to forgive others than to forgive ourselves. “Everyone’s forgiven you. You need to forgive yourself.” God says we are loved and forgiven. We need to believe Him. To withhold forgiveness can make one bitter. Life can become a downward spiral. That is when we need to recognise our need for God and for His help to extend forgiveness. Not in our strength but in His.