“God's kindness on display!”
“Be kind.” “Raise kind humans.” “In a world where you can be anything, be kind.” These are all popular slogans of today’s culture, but what does “kind” really mean? The godly standard of kindness is much deeper and multifaceted than the worlds.
The Outsider by Katy Morgan, beautifully retells the story of Ruth, displaying God’s kindness as all-encompassing of love, mercy, generosity, and forgiveness, which leads to faith and repentance. “Could a god be so kind as that?” Ruth speculates. Ruth is not use to gods who love and care for her. “What is a redeemer,” she wonders.
We have the privilege of knowing how Ruth’s story ends, but it is important to remember that she remained faithful even though she didn’t know the outcome. Ruth is a brief four chapters of the Bible, and it is fascinating to think about what else may have been happening during this time. Katy Morgan gives her creative spin on events, while always remaining faithful to the accounts in the Bible. If Morgan took creative licenses on anything, she has included it in her notes in the back of the book. Mainly, she added characters so we might understand how Ruth may have been treated as a Moabite in Bethlehem.
This is Morgan’s third book in her Biblical fiction series geared towards ages 8-13. They are all fantastic! And while they may be for kids, I always learn something new too.
These stories help younger kids grasp harder concepts in the Bible, while making them comprehensible without watering them down. Kids will walk away with a new meaning of kindness, and an incredible example of what it looks like to trust in God and His plan.
*I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.