Waiting for Morning by Karen Kingsbury

The first in the Forever Faithful series by Karen Kingsbury. Once you pick this up, you'll quickly find that you're not alone, and that you will never be.

                      Here's the summary:

 Hannah Ryan is the mother of two adorable little girls and the wife of a doting husband. Her life is perfect—until the night her husband and eldest daughter are ripped away from her by a drunken driver. Torn by grief and rage, Hannah finds her faith—like that of Jeremiah weeping over Jerusalem—tested to the limits. As she walks the long road of her own modern-day Lamentations, she must learn to forgive... and finally discover that God's mercies truly are new every morning. Sometimes the road home is only found by letting go.Ultimately, it is a kind prosecutor, a wise widow, and her husband's dying words that bring her the peace that will set her free and let her live again.


At first, I was hesitant to read this book. I hadn't read christian novels before and while I know I have strong faith I just thought they would be...well, boring. 


Obviously, I was wrong.


Through Waiting for Morning I've not only enjoyed a good book and broken my stereotype on christian novels, but I've gained something more important than I'd ever thought a book could give me. I've learned to mourn, to forgive, to let go and what I love the most- to discipline myself in the word. 


So, Hannah Ryan, is a normal devout christian mother and wife. She has two girls, a loving husband and an over-all great life. Her faith in God is immeasurable, but then again, why wouldn't it when God has been nothing but Good to her?

Everything changes, however, one unfortunate day when both her little girls and her husband have been in an horrible car crash. 


One minute, Hannah's in her kitchen, wondering what's taking her husband and kids so long to come back from their yearly summer fishing trip and the next...wham! Her life's a total mess.


Now, instead of having two loving daughters, she only as one who's growing distant by the second. And instead of her childhood love and best friend, Hannah finds herself sleeping alone at night.


But God's mercy is never failing.


Though Hannah is too blinded by range and anger to see it, God's always been faithful to her. He brings her Matt, a strong and faithful christian who also happens to the lawyer persecuting the drunk driver that killed Hannah's husband & daughter. And though Hannah wants nothing to do with God, it's only through him she will have the peace she's been waiting to receive ever since her life turned around. 


Many things happen to show Hannah that God is always on her side, even when horrible, unfair, and gut-wrenching things happen to us. Because the truth is, Bad things happen. Not, bad things happen to bad people...just, bad things happen. And what Hannah, and even myself, learn through Waiting for Morning is that when those bad thing happen...well, I'd rather have God on my side.


There is a happy ending to this story though, as there is happy ending in all of our lives. Even though the happy ending isn't what we want, or imagined, well, that doesn't mean that it's not an happy ending at all.


Reading this book, I figured that out.


Any ending with yourself and God on one side is a happy ending indeed.

So if you saw this book and were hesitant to pick it up, or if you're not sure you'll like it, don't let that stop you from reading this book. Not only will you not regret it, but you'll also find yourself swooning for a man like Matt, a love like God's and mostly, you will discover that God's grace is eternal. 


A great song that really shows the depth of this books is hymn, Great is Thy Faithfulness.
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Lamentations 5:21-22
Restore us to you, O LORD, that we may be restored; Renew our days as of old; Unless you have utterly rejected us and are exceedingly angry with us.