“If you could do anything you wanted, what would you do?” Thus began Robin Melvin’s personal journey of recovery, discovery, and learning to forgive and love herself—and finding her own “divine design”. Robin shares scenes across her life that reveal both the trauma she carried inside because of a broken childhood and the grace and mercy she found in Jesus Christ. As she shares her story, it’s as if she is talking directly to you, punctuating her story with questions (“Are you old enough to remember ribbon candy?” um…maybe ��) that help to create a mental picture, and she calls the reader “friend” and “sister”. Each chapter in the book ends with a study guide useful for personal reflection or a group devotional study. I initially started reading this book because I know the author and was asked to read/review an advance copy of the book. I wasn’t expecting to struggle to put the book down! Even after finding Christ and experiencing a rebirth of faith, Robin continued to be tested repeatedly as she grew in her faith. Her “final exam” was forgiving herself and making peace with her past. As the saying goes, your past shapes you, but it doesn’t define you or your future. A couple things I specifically loved: (1) she saves the contextual information about her father until the end of the book, which is both fascinating and adds considerably to the poignancy of her story. (2) It says a lot about her life journey, that in the foreword she thanked her parents, even though they were the source of much of her pain. In the end, the book is just as much a love letter to her dad in particular as it is a testimony of her growth and her faith.
