At a writer’s retreat, I met Rachel Dodge, the author of The Anne of Green Gables Devotional: A Chapter-by-Chapter Companion for Kindred Spirits. Her gentle, kind, and approachable demeanor made me want to buy her book. Who wouldn’t fall in love with L.M. Montgomery’s character, Anne Shirley? The orphan girl earned a top spot in my heart for wanting desperately to be accepted and enjoyed by a family.
I’ve read several devotionals that helped me in my Christian Walk, but Dodge’s forty days of journeying with a kindred spirit was exactly what I needed. God’s mercy and forgiveness resonated with me when I read one of my favorite devotions, “New Day,” when Anne told Marilla tomorrow was a new day without any mistakes. I chuckled because I struggled from sunrise to sundown all week, but at least I had Anne’s encouragement to carry me through the weekend toward a fresh start Monday.
I cherish the colored illustrations by Jana Christy—especially the one of Anne and Matthew riding in a horse-drawn cart on Day 2, “Someone To Listen.” The poor man practically didn’t say a word the entire ride back to Green Gables but didn’t seem to mind. Through the eyes of Anne, readers can connect with Matthew as a stand-in for a patient and loving God. Like Matthew, our God listens, even when we don’t understand the depth of the problem or utter a coherent sentence.
The personal applications Dodge provides at the end of each chapter are the best devotional applications I’ve experienced thus far because she deep dives into the emotional element of what many of us long for—someone to listen without judgment but with receptivity. God doesn’t create people by mistake. We are all unique, deserving of love and to be listened to, just like Anne Shirley.
If you enjoy short, inspirational reading and time with God, I highly recommend His Princess: Love Letters from Your King by Sheri Rose Shepherd. For another 40-day devotional, you may enjoy Corrie Ten Boom’s God Is My Hiding Place: 40 Devotions for Refuge and Strength.
