In my recent release, Of Fire and
Lions, I explore the biblical story
of Daniel, who was exiled to Babylon. Remember the guy thrown into the lions’
den who
escaped unharmed? Because the Hebrew Bible usually records only male descendants
and
Daniel has no recorded offspring, this novel gives Daniel only daughters. Five,
actually; and a
significant part of the story involves his fictional wife’s strained
relationship with them.
Why add a seemingly insignificant conflict when the story
already includes Daniel saved from lions, three men’s escape from a fiery
execution, a king’s
transformation into a beast, and a wealthy nobleman’s rescue of a lovely woman
from a
degrading priesthood?
Because the emotional struggle between a mother or
daughter affects about half the women I meet—and I have two daughters of my own.
The moment they slipped squalling from my body, they’ve
been a conundrum. They’re like yin and yang. Black and white. Completely
opposite yet best
friends. But it hasn’t always been that way…
At first, daughters seem a kaleidoscope of colors—
impossible to sort out for a young mom. “Why is she crying? Why won’t she sleep? My
daughter won’t share—will she ever have friends? She did WHAT to the other child?”
And then she becomes a teen and our colors turn red—
angry and embarrassing. They hate us because they need us, yet we adore them
despite the
struggle. Humbling us with their vulnerability; they humiliate us with their
behavior.
Then comes college, and red turns blue. They soar on wings
in cloudless skies while we cry buckets and wonder, What do I do in this
empty nest? At this
age comes independence, and with independence comes careers and maybe marriage.
That’s when it happened to my girls—somewhere between
high school and the wedding dress—they became as different as black and white.
Not just the
opposite of each other but vastly changed from the little ones I taught and
teens I fought.
They’d become women I no longer knew but who I desperately wanted to call friends.
So, what did I do?
I turned to the woman I’d hated when I was a teen, tolerated
while in college, clung to when a newlywed, and held like a lifeline during my
young-mom
years.
Yes, my own mother was the black to my white, opposite in
so many ways, and yet my best friend. Always available, she knew when silence
was best or
counsel was needed. She modeled friendship with my girls as our own friendship
grew year by
year.
Today, my girls are competent mamas, and my mama now
needs me. No longer black and white, our reminiscing is like a box of
64-Crayolas, the laughter
and tears every shade of the rainbow. My girls call her too, soaking in
knowledge and
memories, reminding Grandma she’s irreplaceable. Every mom needs to hear it. Every
daughter should say it. No matter the history, despite the quirks, the bond of
women through
generations is precious.
I hope you’ll tuck away these colorful Mother’s Day lessons:
- Kaleidoscope – Moms of
little ones, accept your daughter’s imperfections. Train with consistency; love
unconditionally.
- Red – Moms of teens,
realize your girls don’t want to need you, but they do—and it’s
frustrating to them. Encourage
independence with boundaries and grace.
- Blue – Moms of college-
aged/post-college, cut those apron strings; get to know them as friends. Don’t
enable. Let
them fail. Cheer them on to independence.
- Black & White –
Opposite personalities from all generation, cultivate great friendships and let
one’s weak area
complement the another’s strengths.
- 64 Crayola –
Moms/Daughters/Grand-daughters, appreciate each other. Revel in the good
memories. Make
new ones. Gain wisdom from elders still alive to give it.
My new release,
Of Fire and Lions, paints with broad
strokes the mother/daughter relationship of Daniel’s fictional wife, Belili, and
the guilt she
feels over lost opportunities. Her daughters feel cheated by a mother who seems
emotionally
distant and uncaring. The resolve isn’t fluffy clouds and lollipops but rather a
real-life
experience of women’s complex emotions.
I hope you’ll enter to win a free copy (one winner; if U.S.
winner chosen, he/she receives choice of digital or paperback; international
winner in
qualifying country receives egift card equal to book value). Please visit
http://www.mesuandrews.com/ to
order free bookmarks, download Bible studies or group discussion
questions.
The Old Testament book of Daniel comes to life in this novel for readers of Lynn
Austin's
Chronicles of the Kings series or Francine Rivers' Mark of the Lion series.
Survival. A Hebrew girl first tasted it when she escaped death nearly seventy
years ago as the
Babylonians ransacked Jerusalem and took their finest as captives. She thought
she'd
perfected in the many years amongst the Magoi and the idol worshippers,
pretending with all
the others in King Nebuchadnezzar's court.
Now, as Daniel's wife and a septuagenarian matriarch, Belili thinks she's safe
and she can live
out her days in Babylon without fear--until the night Daniel is escorted to
Belshazzar's palace
to interpret mysterious handwriting on a wall. The Persian Army invades, and
Bellili's tightly-
wound secrets unfurl with the arrival of the conquering army. What will the
reign of Darius
mean for Daniel, a man who prays to Yahweh alone?
Ultimately, Yahweh's sovereign hand guides Jerusalem's captives, and the
frightened Hebrew
girl is transformed into a confident woman, who realizes her need of the God who
conquers
both fire and lions.
Inspirational Romance | Historical [Waterbrook, On Sale: March 5,
2019, Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9780735291867 / eISBN: 9780735291874]
Mesu Andrews’ deep understanding of and love for God's Word brings the biblical
world alive
for her readers. Her first novel, Love Amid the Ashes won the
2012 ECPA Book of the Year for a Debut Author. Her three subsequent novels, Love's
Sacred Song, Love in a Broken Vessel, and In the Shadow of Jezebel all released
to great
reader enthusiasm. Mesu lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband Roy.
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