The Story of Tamar

It has been a long time since I have found myself lost in a book.  I guess it's hard to lose yourself when the needs of kids, laundry, the house and more are constantly calling your name.  But that is what I did this week.  Actually it all began when we (James and I) made a big parenting mistake...namely, thinking that the other parent was supervising the books Eliana was checking out of the church library.  Oops.  

Well, she ended up coming home with two books in a series written by Francine Rivers.  We have read one of her books for kids and really liked it.  At first I didn't think twice about it, but by the time I took closer notice, it was too late.  She was reading the book about Mary when I asked her about the book.  "It's good," she replied, "but the one about Tamar is better."   Hmmm...the one about Tamar?  Turns out she read the one about Tamar the Monday after she checked it out.  So, thinking back to the little bit I remembered about the story of Tamar, I decided I should find out what she read.  By the first chapter I was hooked.  

It is told from the point of view of Tamar herself, a 14 year old girl who is married to the "wicked" son of Judah (as the Bible puts it).  I was immediately struck with the reality of arranged marriages of girls who are old enough to 'bear children', but not old enough to drive a car in the U.S..  This was one of the rude realities in Chad that haunted me when we visited last year.  I shuddered at the thought and yet in many cultures, it is just part of life.  It was neat to see the Bible come to life through the lens of Chad.   I couldn't stop reading it, even though I knew the ending.  It was as if I was going to meet a young girl just like this one day and be able to share the story of Tamar with her to bring hope to her situation.  

At the same time, I kept thinking..."I wonder what Eliana thought about all of this"?  If you have read the story lately, I'm sure you will understand that it brought up some questions for her (or you can read it here.)  And yet, I am very appreciative of Francine's ability to tell the story in modesty and tastefulness, allowing the Bible to simply speak for itself.  

All that to say I highly recommend it to the PG-13 audience, and I am looking forward to reading the story of Mary next!