![The Forgiving Jar (The Prayer Jars Book 2) by [Brunstetter, Wanda E.]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51K%2B33wHqdL._SY346_.jpg)
The Forgiving Jar by Wanda E. Brunstetter has us returning to Strasburg, Pennsylvania. Sara Murray is returning to
her grandparent’s farm for the Thanksgiving holiday. The dentist she worked for recently retired
and Sara would like to relocate to Strasburg to be closer to her
grandparents. She is hoping she can live
with them while looking for a job and apartment. When Sara arrived at the Lapp farm for the
first time, she was shocked to find a woman impersonating her. Sara has no tolerance for people who lie,
deceive and keep secrets since she learned of her mother’s secrets. When Sara arrives at the farm, she is surprised
to see Michelle Taylor, the imposter, is once again living with Willis and Mary
Ruth Lapp. Her grandparents tell Sara
that Michelle returned to explain her actions and apologized to them. They have forgiven Michelle and invited her
to live with them. Sara does not
understand how they can easily forgive Michelle’s deception. Sara moves into the farmhouse and struggles
to live with Michelle. She meets Brad
Fuller, a theological student, when he visits at Christmas who had met Michelle
the previous summer. Sara is drawn to
Brad and she can tell he is attracted to her.
However, Brad seems to keep his distance which confuses Sara. One day Sara finds an old canning jar in the
cellar filled with slips of paper. Each
slip has a different Bible verse or inspirational message. These messages provide Sara with
encouragement and hope. Can Sara find a
way to overcome her mother’s deceptions as well as Michelle’s? Is forgiveness in Sara’s future? Come along for Sara’s journey in The Forgiving
Jar.
The Forgiving Jar is the second
book in
The Prayer Jar series. While The
Forgiving Jar could be read as a standalone, I suggest reading
The Hope Jar
first. It will provide you with Michelle’s
complete story and help you understand her motivations. I thought The Forgiving Jar was well-written with
gentle pacing. I did find the story to
be a little slow in the middle. I was
drawn into the story and wanted to find out what would happen with Sara and
Michelle. Sara has a hard time grappling
with the concept of forgiveness. Her
mother kept secrets from her and then Michelle impersonated her. Sara has trust issues and does not understand
how her grandparents can easily forgive Michelle for her deception. We get to see how the slips of paper in an
old canning jar help Sara understand the importance of forgiveness and being a
Christian. The slips in the canning jar
were encouraging, inspirational, guiding and thought provoking. With Michelle
and Sara living in the same household, it is rife with tension. Mary Ruth talks with Sara about the issue. After that, Mary Ruth prays and leaves the
issue in God’s hands. There is romance
in the story as Michelle and Ezekiel King draw closer to each other. One of my favorite phrases was “turn your
cares into prayers.” I did have trouble
with Sara. She has a giant chip on her
shoulder plus she is extremely resentful of Michelle. As time goes by, Sara along with Michelle
mature. I liked seeing the women evolve,
learn from their mistakes and grow in their faith. The Healing Jar is the next book in
The Prayer Jar series.
The Forgiving Jar is a sweet, heartwarming story that will touch your
heart.
Kris
The Avid Reader
