Grasping at Moonbeams

I just finished reading a teen book. I don't know what it is about young adult books that keeps me hooked. Perhaps its all the different activities and events that young adults involve themselves in and the optimism and "lessons learned" ending!

Even though this book was definitely not the typical teen book I'm used to reading and enjoying, I really enjoyed it and actually learned from it! Amazing!

Perhaps, because a central aspect of this book was religion. The main character of Grasping at Moonbeams by Jane Vogel is Becca McKinnon, an athlete and a devoted Christian. Becca was quite an inspiring girl. Reading her story and seeing her grow made me realize how spiritually weak I truly am and how many of the moral, values and lessons taught through Christianity are very similar to those on my faith--Islam.

Becca actually went through some spiritual confusion through the book, almost giving into the Wiccan religion in an effort to try to get her friend Solana to accept Christianity. She learned a lot about God as she took this spiritual journey.

Simply the fact that she made it her mission to try to get Solana to accept Christianity struck me. Most teenagers have no concern for their own faith much less their friend's these days. But Becca is much different--as a devoted Christian she understood the importance of spreading her faith. But, she didn't the proper route. She felt it was her job to make Solana a Christian and in the end she realized the God is truly in control and only he can change a person's heart and put them on the proper path.

Becca admitted that the ability to control events was what may have led to her interest in Wicca. And that's probably why her prayers and actions to help Solana become Christian didn't work. One of the basic tenets of Christianity and Islam is that God is completely in control and we as human beings must completely relinquish control and submit to God. This is something we all struggle with including myself.

Another thing I liked about the book was all the great Islamic/Christian values and manners that Becca followed that I seriously need to work on. Asking for forgiveness was a popular theme among Becca and her friends--from God and others that one has hurt. Immediately after Becca realized that the Wiccans were calling on some being other than Jesus, (whom the Christians believe also to be God but in Islam Jesus is considered a prophet and God is only one and we only call upon God ((Allah)) she left the scene feeling horribly for almost giving up her faith. And even with her non-Christian friend Solana there she immediately seek refuge with God and asked for forgiveness. Mashallah! This is what I and all of us Muslims and Christians alike should be doing.

I remember listening to a lecture about one of the wives of the Prophet (SAW). She was in a state of great difficulty and immediately went into sajdah seeking refuge with Allah.