Heaven in Her Arms
by Elisabeth Allen
Mary was focused on being faithful to the God who knew her so well. She trusted that if she obeyed and walked the journey God had laid before her, she would be at peace, knowing she had pleased Him. While she did not know all that lay ahead, she knew He would be with her.
(Heaven in Her Arms)
It was the cover and the title that caught my eye. The subtitle too: Why God Chose Mary to Raise His Son and What it Means for You. Mary is one of my Bible heroines and I was excited to read about her and draw lessons from her life for my life.
The impression given on the back of the book is that it is a book for every woman:
Mary was there the day Jesus was born and she was there the day he was crucified. Her story is deep and rich and has myriad lessons for any woman—mothers, daughters, sisters, friends. Mary’s story reveals that a woman’s heart is important to the Father. “When God selected Mary,” Hickem says, “He was looking for heart. God set out to find the precise woman who would give her heart to Him, completely and wholly. He wanted a woman with whom He could entrust His perfect Son. This was going to be no ordinary woman.” Heaven in Her Arms will touch your heart if you are facing fear and uncertainty, wondering about leaving your plans behind, feeling a need for community and the support of other women, or wanting to deepen your life of faith.
I feel that, in reality, this book is written for women who are blessed to be mothers of adoptive or biological children. There’s nothing wrong with that and Catherine Hickem’s heart for mothers is beautiful – it glows through her words and transforms them into messages of hope from her motherly heart to the motherly hearts of her readers. I read the book under the impression that the message was more general and feel that it should be clearer that the book is written for mothers specifically. That said and out of the way …
Heaven in Her Arms is an inspiring book! Catherine Hickem shares her story from her little girl dream of motherhood to her grown women reality of infertility. She shares the story of her son’s adoption and her daughter’s birth. She reaches out to embrace her readers’ hearts and fears and encourages them to trust God, to talk to Him, to ask Him questions, to rely on Him as she fulfilled His call on her life and surrender her life to Him. She encourages women to take the time to ponder. To be there for their children when life is tough. To pray.
Mary is, as I said, one of my Bible heroines. I appreciate the fact that Heaven in Her Arms is full of insights that any woman can apply to her life. A single or childless woman may not, of course, want to read a book about motherhood, but I believe that any who read this one will be blessed. Mary had a remarkable life, a remarkable call on her life, a remarkable faith undergirding her life. We can all learn from her example and, in the grace of God, grow into women who reflect the heart of God in our lives as Mary did in her life.
Mary’s ability to so thoroughly focus on who God is and what He had done is a testimony of her selflessness and maturity. She never lost sight of the fact that her gift to God was a time of isolated focus on Him. She wanted to bless Him for all that He is.
(Heaven in Her Arms)
Note: I received this book from Booksneeze in return for my honest and unbiased opinion – which is to be found in this review!
