I was not sure what to expect when I started reading this book, and quite honestly I was a little leery to get started. Why? Because I am well aware of all the stances on homosexuality most specifically in the conservative Christian churches and I was fully prepared for something different than what I got.
I am fairly new on my own walk in faith, my faith most days is shaky at best and I have a lot of questions one of which specifically deals with the love and forgiveness of God. I have had a very hard time wrapping my head around the fact that people who do far, far worse things than love someone of their own sex are forgiven and not put through the same emotional turmoil it seems that homosexuals are. I have several very close friends who are homosexual and the thought that they are not loved by God as fully as anyone else is heartbreaking. So, my expectation of this book was that Christopher came out to his family, everyone was angry but quickly rallied and they prayed him to straightness, because gay is not acceptable to God and they all lived happily ever after.
This book was REAL and honest and the pain that the family dealt with is laid out for all to see, I can only imagine the difficulty of that. The Yuan's marriage was shattered and I felt there was no possible way it could be repaired, Christopher was shattered and again, seemed without repair. The family did rally but it was not immediate and it was not pain free, the fact that they survived, not only intact but stronger is proof positive to me of God's love and patience. Seeing how the faith of each of them was transformed was in and of itself a sort of miracle, how the story ends and how the story begins are complete polar opposites, you can not read this and not also feel lighter and a little more transformed. This book was a labor of love and the honesty of Angela and Christopher Yuan is remarkable.
I don't want to get into a lot of detail because I really think that everyone would benefit from reading this book, but I will say again that often when things seem the most broken and bleak, God can and will step in if you ask Him too. Not only did He step in but He enabled the Yuan's to transform their lives, their relationships with one another and wrestle their demons. Christopher Yuan is gay, his parents love and support him and so does God and that makes me very, very happy.
Please go check it out here and let me know what you think!
* I received a free review copy of this book from WaterBrook Multnomah for my honest opinion. *
