Title:
God’s Grace Alone
Author:
Starr Rogers
Summary:
The story was about a young girl growing into an adult who felt unloved. As a child, she never experienced what an ideal family looks like. She had no parental guidance neither was she loved nor cared for. She stayed with her granny when her parents got a divorce. She was molested at a young age and got married to James, which to her is nothing but an escape route; however, that didn’t help her situation. She experienced hunger and hardship. She then found herself cheating on her husband and then had a child for another man, Larry. After aborting twice for her lover, she discovered that her lover was also cheating on her. She felt her surroundings were devoid of love.
She then ran off to Larry and divorced James. She aborted for Larry again and then felt the weight of depression, thereby making her to contemplate suicide. Larry got divorced and she then got married to Larry without her family’s knowledge except her daughter. She got pregnant again and went for an abortion, but her mind wouldn’t let her. She then met with a warm and loving counsellor and got convinced to keep the baby. Larry was angry at her decision and requested that d baby be put up for adoption, but she refused. She gave birth to a son and named him Matthew. Her granny died, she had lost a mother and family in granny.
She then got pregnant again and had a daughter named Ashley. Her younger sister, Tammy then got a child outside wedlock and was facing domestic violence. She then concluded that “Barely getting by” seemed to be the story for everyone in her family. She got pregnant again to a son named Andrew. Tammy got AIDS and battled with AIDs for nine years. She then had to take care of her kids along with Tammy’s kids in a little house. She later left Larry and went back to her ex-husband’s house., cleaning and cutting grass to forget her troubles.
One day, she went to get her oldest daughter from school and left Matthew in the car, but she was stalked and somehow Matthew was taken by Larry to his parent’s house. Matthew then alternated between her house and Larry’s for two months. She noticed that Matthew had turned from being a happy boy to a sad boy. Matthew is constantly being molested by his Larry and his grandpa (Larry’s father). She then discovered Larry was being molested by his parents as a child. She remained her James but that didn’t take her feeling of emptiness away.
She then began cheating with Mickey, divorced James again to marry Mickey. Mickey seems a sweet man. She was his fouth wife after three previous divorces. Depression came back to her in full force, this time she was overwhelmed with the thoughts of murder and suicide. She kept busy to keep the thoughts away. She watched the once sweet Mickey gradually become an alcohol addict. Larry died soon after his both parents died within months of each other. He left everyone out of the will except for the kids from his first marriage.
One day she stopped at a library, she picked a local magazine called Journey; she read it and came across an article that said, “Do you need healing from an abortion?”. She called a number from the magazine, met with a counsellor, Sherry. She started attending Sherry’s classes for nine weeks. She was given a workbook and a bible. Through the homework she was given, she discovered post-abortion syndrome which all fits her like a glove. However, Mickey didn’t understand.
One day, she called Sherry asked her to pray with her, in the middle of the prayer, she could feel bile creeping up my throat. She then vomited a green sludge. Sherry told her the vomit substance was demonic. She then understands that all along she had lived in years of anger, bitterness and hatred. She had been like Rachel in Jeremiah 31:15. She had been in mourning and great weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted. As advised by Sherry, she wrote down all the name of the men she has had sex with. Sherry said a prayer with her to break the connections and the she burned the paper in a metal bucket. She thought of the two boys and two girls she had aborted, she had a memorial for them and named them Sarah, David, Aaron and Mary as a new name gives life and restores dignity. She became a changed woman; she knew Jesus and wanted to live for him. She helped other women in her shoes by speaking at local churches and sending her testimonies to Christian magazines, radio and TV stations.
Mickey became friends with a new neighbour, Herbie. Herbie deals on drugs and young girls. This Herbie created a bigger wedge between her and her husband. He introduced Mickey to crystal meth, the most addictive of all drugs. Mickey got so addicted that he started looking like an AIDs patient. She tried inviting the Cops on Herbie, but he wasn’t arrested as expected. Mickey started paying bills for Herbie and buying groceries for him. Mickey became broke and started taking loans. She went through a lot from Mickey that she couldn’t bring herself to forgive him. She found herself in a fight with Herbie which she regretted.
Mickey lost his job, got arrested and was sentenced. He started turning a new leaf gradually. He found a new job, started gaining back his lost appetite and weight. He was then sentenced to nine months of community service, AA meetings and weekly counselling sessions; this judgement was much lighter than what was expected.
She is overwhelmed with joy upon discovering that Ashley is pregnant and is expecting a beautiful baby boy. Her life is slowly piecing itself back together after being fractured for so long. Mickey and she are still working on their marriage. Her kids and grandchild are happy and healthy, and she has no one to thank but God himself.
Evaluation:
- It is not certain if the book is a life story or a fiction at the beginning stage. One can only deduce at the tail end of the book.
- The name of the main character not mentioned in the story. The name of the main character can only be deduced from the name of the Author.
- The book was too summarized. it is difficult absorbing a line of story before moving to another line of story; thereby, making comprehension and remembrance not so easy.
- The book has no chapters or titles to briefly summarize what each session of the story is about
- The book emphasized more on the bad aspects of the author’s life, emphasizes wasn’t so much placed on the restorations and transformation experienced by the author.
- The title of the book “God’s Grace Alone” wasn’t so much stressed in the story line.
- There was no mention of the steps taken to accept God as personal Lord and Saviour; this will make it difficult for anyone seeking direct steps to salvation through the book.
Commendation
The book is a life story which offers hope to all who may find themselves in same situations because it easy to relate to a person’s personal experience than a fiction. The story points readers to the fact that what God cannot do does not exist. It shows that God can transform life and turn bitterness into sweetness. The author is also to be commended for taking such a bold step to share her life experience without feeling vulnerable or insecure.
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