"When Life Doesn't Match Your Dreams" by Jill Eileen Smith

 


Jill Eileen Smith is a well-known writer of Biblical fiction, though somehow I have missed reading her books thus far. Unmatched dreams, though -- now that's something I'm more familiar with. Like most Christian women, I've read plenty about the ladies in the Bible, but something about this book seemed a little different. For one, Smith picks women from early in the Old Testament -- all these women come from either Genesis or Exodus. I don't know about you, but for all I've seen on the more popular Biblical women, I've never read anything that included an in-depth look at the wives of Lot or Potiphar. Hmm!

In another unique twist, Smith includes portions in each chapter when she dives into first-person fictional slices of that woman's life. This really sets the scene and gets you thinking about these stories in ways you might not have before. How willing a participant was Leah in tricking Jacob to marry her? What went through the mind of Lot's wife as she hosted the men who predicted the destruction of her city? These are questions for which we'll never know the answer, but Smith does an excellent job drawing out each woman's voice and perspective on the way things might have been.

I hadn't even reached the end of the first chapter before I began collecting quotes form this book. The first one I wrote down? "The details of our hurts don't matter so much as the fact that we have them." Ooh, that is good! I kept writing them down all throughout the book. Another of my favorites came from Chapter 8: "Never be afraid to ask for grace."

Two chapters in this book that really spoke to me were the ones on Hagar and Leah, women who went through a great deal of pain and were despised for various reasons. All the chapters were really good, and the truths on display are applicable to today's world. I'd recommend this for women everywhere, especially those in need of knowing they are not alone in whatever they may be facing. The women of the Bible were just as real as you and me, and the God who was involved in their lives is the One who cares for us even now.

I received my copy of the book from the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.