When You Love a Prodigal by Judy Douglass

I imagine the father of the prodigal son in the Bible (Luke  15:11-32) every day was praying and longing with all his heart for that prodigal to change his ways and come home. I can imagine because I love a prodigal of my own. When You Love a Prodigal: 90 Days of Grace for the Wilderness by Judy Douglass was a book written in process over time. She shares her heart and how God worked in their lives in this book.

When You Love a Prodigal has 90 individual reflections written by a woman who traveled through life with a prodigal. In the beginning, she defines "prodigal" so we are all on the same page. She has divided the book in to sections: love, grace, time, rest, trust, prayer, promise, hope, spirit, and gift. Each reading in each section relates to that topic. In the end of the book, her son writes a brief note and she writes a brief note in closing.

Douglass shares her heart in When You Love a Prodigal as a mom praying for a son who lived a life for his own pleasure. She shares from her heart through each of the readings sharing both her experiences and the Scriptures that spoke to her through those experiences. At the end of each reading there are questions to ask yourself and reflect on. This would be a good book to use with a daily journal. For me, putting my thoughts on paper and giving them to God is often helpful in the healing of my heart, no matter which way the prodigal ultimately goes in the end. In my case, there is no happy ending yet, just continued prayers and hopes and thoughts given to God. I like how Douglass shares honestly and openly. I like how she continues to turn her thoughts and prayers back to God, reminding me to do the same. I do find this book to be both encouraging and hopeful, regardless of who you are in relationship to the prodigal and no matter what your prodigal has done. This book can speak to your heart. I liked the format as it helped me to take things in bite-sized chunks and reflect and pray better.

I received When You Love A Prodigal by Judy Douglass from Bethany House. All opinions are my own.