Seasons of the Heart: A Year of Devotions from One Generation of Women to Another

Donna Kelderman

Reviewed by: Cindy Gregson

Seasons of the Heart: A Year of Devotions from One Generation of Women to Another, compiled by Donna Kelderman. Reformation Heritage Books, 2013. Hardback, 416 pages, list price $20.00. Reviewed by OP member Cindy Gregson.

Donna Kelderman, a pastor's wife and mother of six, has put together a wealth of daily devotionals consisting of the writings of many godly women who have gone before us. She includes excerpts from the writings of Susannah Spurgeon, Frances Ridley Havergal, Anne Dutton, Sarah Hawkes, Mary Winslow, Ruth Bryan, Isabella Graham, and others, along with a short biographical sketch of each woman. Each daily entry is limited to one page, including the topic and a Scripture reference.

These women struggled with issues similar to those we face today, such as loneliness and sin, disappointments and conflicts. It is encouraging to know that they too needed to be reminded of the greatness of our God, the value of confessing sin, and the power of prayer. It lifts our own hearts to know that in their struggles they sought Christ and drew from his word the strength to face the struggles and to rejoice in God's love and mercy.

For example, Ruth Bryan asks, "What is it, my beloved friend, that distresses you? Is it the absence of Jesus? Is it sin that breaks your heart?… Whatever your case is, the remedy is in Christ."

Mary Winslow encourages us: "What an unburdening of the heart is a holy, unconstrained, and loving interview with God, our best friend! He is so ready to do us good—and that from everlasting and unbounded love, sovereign in its character and independent of all deserts in ourselves. Is it not a high privilege to have such a one to whom we may go when oppressed?"

At the beginning of each month is a poem written by Anne Steele. These poems express her deep affection for Christ and her desire to "bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ."

These women, who were our spiritual mothers, knew Christ intimately and were well acquainted with God's character. They recognized in the ups and downs of daily life the need to think and act biblically, and in so doing they grew in faith. All who read this book will appreciate the deep love and devotion to Christ expressed by these women, and will be encouraged to pass on their own faith in Christ in written form.