Lemons on Friday by Mattie Jackson Selecman

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Trusting God Through my Greatest Heartbreak

Mattie Jackson Selecman was just 28 years old when her worst nightmare came to pass. Widowed after less than a year of marriage, her world fell apart. In this book, she records her journey over the last 3 years and how she is learning and growing through her grief. Normally, reading a book doesn't really affect me and I can read and go straight to sleep, but I finished this book at bedtime and it took me a bit to fall asleep. I think it was mostly because my mind played the what-ifs game and I needed to commit my family to God. This book is raw, but also hopeful as well. 

"We do all we can to not live in the fear of Friday or Saturday, but to hoard, herald and hold captive the joy of Sunday. Why wouldn't we? We long for Sunday just as we long for lemonade."

"What I can tell you is that in the middle of my worst nightmare come true, even when I didn't know how to talk to God or trust God, God continued to show me he was good." I love this quote. It is so true, but so hard to grasp sometimes. 

And one last quote: "But in a holy place of rest, the Lord slowly and meticulously brings back life, not by eliminating sorrow buy by empowering peace to overcome it - by meeting fruitless coping mechanisms with faithful community; and by filling emptiness in loss back to fullness in Christ." 

I really enjoyed this book if you can enjoy a book full of such raw feelings, but as I said previously it was also full of hope and that is what made the book readable. 

I received this book from Thomas Nelson via NetGalley and was not required to write a positive review.  All opinions expressed are my own. 

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