Love Comes Softly
The first book in the series of fictional novels by Janette Oke is “Love Comes Softly.” The setting is the pioneer days of the “Old West” Montanna.
A 19-year-old woman named Marty recently married travels west in a wagon train with her husband. Her hopes and dreams for a new life are shattered when her young husband Aaron is killed after being thrown from a horse. She finds herself a widow and pregnant with her first child alone in the wild west with no income or protection. In a bold yet clumsy delivered moment, a man named Clark recently widowed with a young daughter offers a proposal of marriage and protection. His motive is respectful and honorable. He needs someone to care for his daughter while he works, and she needs a shelter, food, and money to survive.
Her attitude toward him is bitter and waxed cold as she is devastated to find herself in this situation but settles for a marriage of convenience - married but living separately in the same house. She initially thinks him to be nice but a “Big Olaf,” However, over time, his honest merciful kindness, careful respect, and gentle spirit eventually win her over and she grows to care for him although reluctantly.
Marty, who lost her first love, eventually can see the good heart of Clark, and that he was also widowed from a woman he loved. – This was their common bond and was a thread that enabled both to survive. She grows past her pain slowly and their “love comes softly.” Building gradually with evidence by his actions –her “love grows softly.” He goes easy, gentle, without finding fault, just understanding her pain.
Clark tells Marty “The truth of God’s love is not that He allows bad things to happen. It’s His promise that He will be there when they do.
Clark’s example is a picture of God’s love for us thru His Merciful Kindness (Psalm 117). Paul the apostle expresses this type of love in the first letter to the Corinthians (I Cor 13).
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
God demonstrated this agape love to both Ruth and Boaz in bringing them together in the most unlikely of circumstances. Ruth was led by blind faith in finding her Kinsman Redeemer Boaz. Their love came “softly” as well, ordained by God.
The Great Dilemma – God’s will vs our dreams and desires
In the stories of Ruth, Naomi and the fictional character Marty, the main characters had dreams of how their life was going to be.
Abe Lincoln said: God has his plans and purpose and will do them despite us, our dreams, or our desires.
God loves to give us good things and surprises when we seek Him first and His will. “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and all these things will be added unto you.” (Math.6:33).
Michael Card wrote “There is a “Wonder and a Wildness to life” and freedom for those who obey” and long for His will to be done.
Oswald Chambers coined the phrase “My utmost for His highest.”
When we give our utmost for His highest, our best for His Glory, He will order our steps and we will live out Psalm 1 - like a tree planted by the river of water that brings forth fruit in due season and whatever we do shall prosper.
Enjoy this song – All of us are “Long Time Travelers” ….by the “Wailin’ Jennys”
Long Time Traveler
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UNT3poCd6U
~ Steve Byers and his wife Debbie have lived in the Charlotte area since 2017 and have been attending LIFE Fellowship for five years. Steve is a musician and songwriter and sings in the Oxygen Choir. Steve and Debbie, have one son, Josh and a daughter-in-law, Avery. They are grand parents to Jaxon and Grayson.