I love the novels Suzanne Woods Fisher writes--she has "real" characters with flaws and foibles that match my own, even though they are Amish. BUT, she has written a book about forgiveness and the Amish way of life. Forgiveness figures largely into the Amish lifestyle, because they know they need forgiveness and they also know they need to GIVE forgiveness just as much.
The Heart of the Amish is a book of testimonies of Amish forgivers and forgivees, along with scientific studies that show how holding grudges, giving forgiveness, receiving forgiveness affects us physically, psychologically, and spiritually. Suzanne does not paint the Amish as perfect people who live without sin, but people who have faults, who make bad choices, who live in a community where forgiveness is a key characteristic of their lives.
In reading this book I remember Simon asking Jesus why He was letting a prostitute anoint his feet, and Jesus asked him who would love more--someone who had been forgiven for a big thing or a small thing. The big thing or the mass quantity of things forgiven leads to a greater love, and that love shows in how the Amish live.
This book won't take long to read, but it is worth every moment that it will take. Five Stars, Two Thumbs Up, and a cup of forgiveness, just to get you started.
My thanks to Revell for allowing me to read and review this book.
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