TOO GOOD TO BE TRUEPretty as a picture in a frame, the yo...

TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE


Pretty as a picture in a frame, the young woman looks from the window of a Queen Anne style home. Luxurious golden locks flow to her ivory shoulders. She smoothes the ruffles on her Victorian dress, then folds her hands demurely on her lap.
Lifting her angelic face heavenward, she prays about a critical decision she needs to make. Turning also to her Bible, she feels impressed to seek the wisdom of her pastor and her father. She obeys and follows their wise council.

Lovely Elsie Schmitt looks at us from another time. Who is this paragon of beauty and virtue? She could be the central character in much of today’s Christian fiction. She always makes the right decision and I can’t relate to her. While she may reflect the ideal, she does not reflect the reality I know.
I much prefer someone like Liz Bertelli, the central character in my “Castle in the Sun” romance/suspense series. It opens with “Love’s Sweetest Revenge” and the following scenario. Liz too, is looking from a window, but her brow is furrowed, her dark hair slightly unkempt and she carries a few pounds too many. Wearing casual slacks and T-shirt, she looks toward the driveway of her home in rural New York State. Not so long ago, her husband sped down that driveway in a cloud of dust, leaving her for another woman. Doubtful of God’s existence, or even if he would listen to her, Liz doesn’t bother praying. Her gaze shifts to the meadow and woods beyond her home. On that peaceful spring day, she watches butterflies flutter among the wildflowers and listens to birds singing in the trees. It’s as if they are singing her name, inviting her to walk in the meadow and forest. Stepping onto her back porch, Liz breathes-in the cool, refreshing air and looks toward trees whistling in the wind.
However, as a cloud casts its shadow, a sudden chill makes Liz shiver. She realizes she has never ventured into the forest alone. Without knowing she is being watched, Liz makes the critical decision to take that first step, then another and another toward the forest, where destiny awaits. Did she make the right decision? Answers unfold in “Love’s Sweetest Revenge,” available on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Loves-Sweetest-Revenge-Flora-Reigada/dp/1622085884
Might that dream you had mean something? Flora’s devotional, “Where Your Heart Meets God’s,” explores the many expressions of God’s voice.
https://www.amazon.com/Where-Your-Heart-Meets-Gods/dp/1622085868