Some friends come and go and others last a lifetime. What happens when you see one who you grew apart from? Are back to your old ways or is there a distance? What happens it is when you feel like your own life is falling apart and are just trying to escape the chaos of it? And of course there is the question of how well you really know someone. If We Make It Home by Christina Suzann Nelson takes three college roommates back to their college home before it gets torn down. Each is dealing with her own challenges and must come to terms with life, disappointment and each other.
Three college roommates return to the special house in which they once shared a room together with a fourth. They discover Hope, the one who always tied them all together, has passed away. Each has to come to terms with losing someone they once held so dear and they grew apart from and not being there for her while she fought cancer. They each have their own baggage as well. And an opportunity/challenge presents itself to learn survival skills in the Oregon mountains. Something Hope had wanted to do and never got to do. All three women accept the challenge without telling the others and find themselves in the wilderness with a guide who actually dies during a storm. Now the three must find their way home without any knowledge of the area or truly surviving.
This story shows how strong friendship can be as well as faith. Each woman rises to help her friends at different times and in different ways. Their survival depends on each of them and none give up because they cannot let the other two down. Each woman also looks at what she would like to change in her life starting with herself. It helps them find God, love and friendship again.
The emotions that one goes through reading this book--grief, anger, joy and more. The characters are well developed and the reader gets the sense of being privy to the inner working of each woman's brain. I felt each woman's emotional pain and joy. The story goes back and forth with the narrator being the various women. The background is set for each first and then the reunion. Throughout the book the glimpses into the characters are strong and one can truly sense what they were like when they were younger.
Each woman gets a clear look at her own faith. In college they were all Christian, but now one thinks God doesn't exist or doesn't care. Another has built an entire ministry on helping women be good Christian wives. The third raised her children as a stay-at-home Christian mother. The challenges they face stretch their faith further than they thought possible. They have to give God complete control in order to have a chance of surviving. Each finds her way and helps the others. Their focus on their own faith has me focusing on my own. Many people say they are Christian and go to church, but their actions do not always agree with what being a follower of Christ really is. In fact I would dare to say almost all humans fall into this category at some point. We each have our flaws and are not perfect. This book helped remind me to take the time to pray and talk to God every day and to remember life works when you let Him have control.
Overall I have to say If We Make It Home is a powerful book. I couldn't put it down. It draws you in and has you comparing your own life and weaknesses with these three women as well as examining your own faith and relationship with God. I hope you will check it out!!
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