Saturday Christian Fiction Carnival - Most Memorable Character

There are many outstanding characters in the books we read but often there's that one special character we remember for a long time. Sometimes it's because we relate to them, or maybe we were going through something similar to what they experienced. Or maybe they are just the sort of person we wish we were. Who is the most memorable character in Christian fiction for you and why?

There are four characters that come immediately to my mind: Hadassah from Francine Rivers Mark of the Lion trilogy, Birdie from Jamie Langston Turner's Some Wildflower in My Heart, and Father Tim and Cynthia from Jan Karon's Mitford Series. Each character is vastly different, but they all share a trait that I admire and desire more of - a servant's heart.

Hadassah is the most inspirational for me, not only because of her servant's heart, but because she reflects the faithfulness and love that only Christ can give. Oh, to stand with arms raised to heaven in the face of lions in the colluseum in Rome! Oh, to continue to serve and sacrifice for a family in order to reach them for Christ! Hadassah is one of the purest examples of what every Christian should be, and I have re-read The Mark of the Lion series multiple times for that reason alone. Hadassah inspires me.

Birdie is a contemporary version of Haddasa I suppose. She is a woman to whom life has been pretty ugly, and yet she serves and loves the people around her with such selfless abandon and enthusiasm that I couldn't help but love her. She changed many lives by simply loving people with a genuine, selfless love and I have re-read her story many times as well.

I suppose Tim and Cythia Cavanaugh from the Mitford series are the most familiar characters on my list. The love these two share as a couple just leaps from the pages! That same love is then poured out upon the people to whom they minister, and again the impact they have is often eternal. My Mitford Series books are literally ragged from re-reading.

I know this is more than the one character requested, but these characters have stayed in my heart for a very long time, and I go back to their stories time and time again and always come away encouraged, challenged and rejoicing!

My Friend Amy is having a thoughtful carnival this week! Please stop by and join the fun!