Book Review: Forgiving Our Fathers and Mothers

 

From the book Jacket:  "If our families are to flourish, we will need to learn and practice ways of forgiving those who have had the greatest impact upon us: our mothers and fathers."Do you struggle with the deep pain of a broken relationship with a parent?
Leslie Leyland Fields and Dr. Jill Hubbard invite you to walk with them as they explore the following questions:

• What does the Bible say about forgiveness? Why must we forgive at all?
• How do we honor those who act dishonorably toward us, especially when those people are as influential as our parents? Can we ever break free from the "sins of our fathers"?
• What does forgiveness look like in the lives of real parents and children? Does forgiveness mean I have to let an estranged parent back into my life? Is it possible to forgive a parent who has passed away?

Through the authors' own compelling personal stories combined with a fresh look at the Scriptures, Forgiving Our Fathers and Mothers illustrates and instructs in the practice of authentic forgiveness, leading you away from hate and hurt toward healing, hope, and freedom. 
"A call to very hard, but very vital, work of the soul."
--Dr. Henry Cloud, leadership expert, psychologist, and best-selling author
"Forgiving Our Fathers and Mothers is essential reading for anyone who wants to deal with those hurts in a constructive, healing, and God-honoring manner."
--Jim Daly, president, Focus on the Family
"Leslie Leyland Fields and Jill Hubbard take us into raw, messy stories so we can be transformed by that mysterious and painful grace in the force called forgiveness."
 --Scot McKnight, Northern Seminary

 

My Review:    Have you ever thought about forgiveness and said "I did nothing wrong, someone else did!"  Have you asked yourself "Why read yet another book on forgiveness?  How exactly do I move past the hurt?  What do you mean make amends?"   Forgiving Our Fathers and Mothers by Leslie Leyland Fields and Dr. Jill Hubbard will not only shed light on that very idea, but give you the tools for incredible leaps towards closing the forgiveness gap.

This book is so refreshing in it's wonderful inclusion of faith and scriptural
strength without being over the top.  It's subtle enough to understand God's desires for us to forgive those that have trespassed against us but firm in
the reasons why and hopes for forgiveness.   I nodded in agreement as they equated forgiveness with Jonah's journey and how sometimes being so dutifully wrapped up in the inability to forgive, we miss essential ways to move beyond.  Dreams are misguided, life goes off course, hopes seems lost.  However, rather than live with a hardened heart, we must look past the hurt, albeit is absolutely warranted in it's reason, and focus more on what Jesus asks of us:  Forgive us our debts.  He is the life and breath that we take and in each of those intakes, we must offer love and redemption - even if it's only for ourselves.

The inclusion of thought provoking Study Questions at the end of the chapters is a nice touch.  It expands on the topics discussed in the chapters and allows you to apply it to your own life and circumstances, giving much room for thought and processing.  While enlightening, I did find this book heavy on the personal stories (of author Leslie Fields) and countless stories included in this book from others around the globe.   What I took away from this book is in forgiving others, you have the incredible ability to let go.  You can let go of the pain, the hurt, and move on towards a better quality of life.  To humble ourselves and show mercy in offering that forgiveness is freeing. 

I received this book for an honest review from BookLook/Harper-Collins and was not required to write a positive review.  Any reflection of such is my own and this review is an honest reflection of such.