An Amish Miracle by Beth Wiseman, Ruth Reid, and Mary Ellis

Have you ever dealt with weight or body-image issues? Were you ever teased because of your weight?

In Always Beautiful, Becky Byler has always been fat, and she painfully recalls being teased by her peers. She stands in front of a rushing river, ready to dive in to take her own life, when, she suddenly prays to God for a miracle – she wants to be thin and beautiful. Her wish is granted, but, Becky’s life changes. Matt, a good-looking, well-liked young man in her community asks her out! Becky has admired Matt from afar, but, in the past, she’s kept to herself because she doesn’t want to face ridicule about her weight.

However, Becky’s best friend, Elam, is stunned about how much she’s changed. Why is she seeing Matt – after all Becky and Elam have always been best friends, and their friendship could easily turn into something more.

Out of the three stories in this collection, I enjoyed this one the most. I think it’s because it dealt with an overweight main character – I seldom see this in Christian fiction.

The second novella, Always His Providence, is about Rosa – a barren Amish widow woman. She’s desperately trying to make more money to pay the back taxes on her land – her deceased husband did not keep up with the tax payments and now Rosa could lose her farm. Adam, her next door neighbor and her husband’s best friend, vowed that he’d take care of Rosa after her husband died. Rosa’s husband, Uriah, saved Adam’s life and Adam feels indebted to Uriah’s widow, Rosa.

I enjoyed this story because I loved reading about the attraction between Adam and Rosa. Adam is scarred by the fire that took Uriah’s life. I also loved reading about Rosa’s chickens! Rosa sells eggs and the chickens’ egg-laying habits provide a unique twist to the story.

The first story, Always in My Heart, is about Hope. She’s blessed with several daughters, however, she wonders if her traumatic past is causing her to be son-less. Hope and her husband are almost desperate to have a male offspring, but, Hope keeps giving birth to girls. She thinks about that dark, traumatic night, and the decision she was forced to make afterwards. She’s never shared her experience with her husband, and she struggles, wondering what her husband would say if he knew. She also wonders if there’s anything she can do to ensure she has a male child in the future.

This story takes on an interesting twist as Hope receives a totally unexpected answer to her prayer. I liked this story, for the most part. Hope and her husband receive a totally unexpected interesting visitor which provides the story with a unique and interesting twist.

So, have you ever dealt with weight or body-image issues? Were you ever teased because of your weight? What did you do about it?

~Cecelia Dowdy~