Tags
Faith, Forgiveness, Francine Rivers, Grace, Healing, Light, Love, Redemption
Francine Rivers is an amazing author of Christian fiction, one of my best. After the release of her book, “Bridge to Haven” in 2014, her readers (including me), waited four years for her next book, titled, “The Masterpiece.”
I remember staying up to finish the book and feeling like I was expecting something more. I called my friend, asking, “Is this what we have been waiting for?”. Maybe after waiting so long, I was expecting something a bit complex, perhaps, some sort of big bang theory. But you see, Francine Rivers took us through one of the most important messages, one I will call, the simple gospel.
Without giving much of the book away, her main character, Roman Velasco, is a famous and wealthy artist. He seems to have everything but often feels angry and empty. Francine walks us through his traumatic childhood, his experiences, his alter ego (as a graffiti artist), his mistakes, and success.
Amongst others, she introduces Grace Moore, a woman who also faced a difficult childhood. She gave up her studies to support her husband through college and later gets a divorce. She holds on to her faith in Christ. Eager to find a job to take care of her son, she gets a role as Roman Velasco’s personal assistant.
The book takes us between their present and the past, each time, showing us the events that shaped Roman and Grace into the adults they have become. Through what seemed like an imperfect situation, their lives were unexpectedly woven together, bringing up the pain, anger, and frustrations. Essentially, everything that had happened in their lives had brought them together.
Francine reveals the unfailing love of God through it all – it is a story of love, forgiveness, grace, healing, and redemption. It details how God weaved their story together to create a masterpiece. There was no condemnation but simply love and redemption. Roman and Grace could not have imagined their stories would end up that way. She demonstrates how God directs and guides their steps through their brokenness like He does for us – He never gives up on us. It reminds us that God is in full control of our daily lives, regardless of the circumstances. No matter what is in your past or present, the confusion, mistakes, pain, anger, and betrayal. God takes them all, and He is still able to create a masterpiece. It might not be a big bang event, but rather, a summation of your daily life; getting out of bed, taking the next step, making a decision, standing still, being yourself, making mistakes, falling back to old habits, getting back up, wins, failures, all of it!
A description of her book reads, “Her message, just like the story of redemption, is not about perfection. It is a message that mercy and grace can shape even the most broken among us into an imperfect, yet stunning, masterpiece.”
Ephesians 2:10 – For we are His workmanship (His own masterwork, a work of art), created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.