A Love Like Ours by Becky Wade

The term "bleeding heart". It's a phrase I feel gets a bad rep because our society has become so focused on taking care of yourself. They say a bleeding heart does nothing but get everyone messy and leave you lifeless, but I think that is such a sad view to have. I am an emotional person, as you may have guessed by now, but I'd probably go as far as defining myself as hyper-sympathetic. It's not only my own victories and trials that I feel, but those of people around me. I like to think that I was made that way for a purpose.

The "bleeding hearts" of society tend to be the people that will bring light to issues that others didn't even recognize as a problem and take action to make a change. They see how their neighbor, city, state, nation, or world hurts and feel that pain as keenly as if it were their own. As you can imagine, with so much pain and suffering in the world, it can be draining to take on the problems of other people when it all feels so insurmountable. A bleeding heart will exhaust itself and become completely impotent if it is not transfused with an additional supply. That's where I recognize that impact is impossible without a supply source.

As Christians, we have the secret to that source. We can hurt and care and love outrageously because we have a Creator who can fill us back up. Not only can we do this, but our very purpose is to be this example to people. We don't have to try to convince them that our beliefs are "right" or that they are heathen sinners in need of redemption. We have a stronger weapon - the love of Christ. And that love has the power to change (and not just others, mind you, but ourselves as well). I encourage all one or two of you reading this to love extravagantly and let God fill you up when you're depleted. It's a challenge that I'm working on in my own life too, so don't feel like you're in it alone.

Praying for you today.

TheModestMillennial

P.S. See what healing love can bring in Lindie and Jake's story, the third in the Porter family series and today's book.



A Love Like Ours by Becky Wade
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Lindie James, born free-spirited with a heart made to nurture, lost the best friend she ever had when her family moved away from Holley, TX before her high school graduation and now that they're finally back, nothing is the same. Especially the friendship she had with Jake Porter.

Jake has seen the worst of the worst, somehow surviving when no one else did. Now his only peace can be found in training Thoroughbred Race Horses. That, and maybe an occasional flashback to his childhood, but his whole world is turned upside down when Lindie steps back into his life and into his worse fears.

If you've read any of the previous books in the series, you probably have a special place in your heart for Jake - Mr. Tall, Dark, and Brooding. My heart continued to ache for him as you see his story unfold throughout this book. I'm a sucker for childhood friendships that eventually evolve, and this on hit me right in the feels. Lindie is a beautiful character with a strong current of compassion that runs soul-deep, and the perfect match for Jake's, well, broken persona.

The writing is perfect - well paced, and keeps you locked in to the story. The believable characters play wonderfully off of one another, and show development from beginning to end. Jake, especially. He truly felt like a man suffering with PTSD and his reactions to situations were plausible and realistic. Another job well done by Becky Wade.