Her own life experiences and work challenges have inspired a Durbanville woman to write three books about her journey.

Born in Gauteng, raised in the Free State, having lived in the United Kingdom for two years and then in Durbanville for the past ten years, 57-year-old Caren Reid has experience with all kinds of people and cultures through travel and work.

Qualified in administration and public relations, Reid had aspirations from school days that never panned out as she expected them to.

“I was not looking for a career or hobby in writing. The idea came about by people in ministry who planted the seeds. The idea developed as God spoke to me. I aspired to specifically help people with things I have gone through and they are struggling with. I wanted to bring them to God’s Word and help them to resolve their issues out of God’s Word,” she explains.

As a child, she grew up in a Christian home — going to Sunday school and church. “I kept on hearing about the Word of God, but I kept in my own way — communicating with God in a very distant manner.

“It all changed, one day about ten years ago, when I was invited to attend a ministry course.

“I really met the Holy Spirit and developed a relationship with God in a phenomenal way,” she continues.

Encouraged to write a book

Reid was encouraged by people she has been ministering to to write a book about her experiences, knowledge, understanding and wisdom.

“I put the idea aside — thinking what would I write on and where do I start, but the words from ministry kept ringing in my mind. I realised I can honour God with what is in my hand.”

I visited a lot of different churches in search of the truth, she says.

“In 2018 I became a member of the Crossway Baptist Church in Durbanville and continued to grow in Christ.”

After two years of much prayer and the burden of her own situation and that of others, her two books have now been published.

Relationships

I Am My Beloved’s and My Beloved Is Mine, which was published in June, is about relationships and meeting the right person to spend the rest of your life with.

“It is about my experience as a single woman up until today and how to navigate and negotiate the things of the world. It is about dating sites and how things do not work out. God wants to lead and guide us to meet the right person at the right time.

“It is about developing yourself and being at peace with yourself — being a whole person and focusing on God. Then the right person will come into your life,” she says.

Working life

Shortly after, her book Whatever You Do was published earlier this month.

“It is about working life, about how you grow in God’s Word and how you can use negative experiences to be a better person and deal with situations in a better way, and deal with people in the right manner and grow personally.

“A lot of people go through bad experiences at work and will relate to my experiences. It is a journey to deal with things differently.

“First, surrender to God and then, secondly, live the Word of God out in your life in the workplace. By submitting to God, you will not be a bad or negative person, no matter what the circumstances. You will continue to act appropriately under all circumstances. Keep the peace within yourself and within the atmosphere in the room that you are working in,” she says.

These two books were published in the format of e-books, print-on-demand and audiobooks by Reach Publishers in Durban.

Third book

Her third book, The Leaves of the Tree Are for the Healing of the Nations, will be published in about two months.

“It is about healing and taking God’s Word for what it is, saying your prayers out of God’s Word and receiving the healing that he speaks of in his Word,” she says.

“I hope my books will change lives. The ultimate goal of my books is to draw people closer to God and his Word. I encourage every person to find their God-given talents and callings in terms of what God births in them through praying through all things and reading the Bible.

“I hope my books will inspire people to grow themselves in Christ and live out their lives within each one’s talents, gifting and abilities,” she says.

The books can be purchased on her website.

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