Why I Wrote Bridge to Haven

Every story I’ve written has begun with a question or issue with which I’m wrestling.  I have particular struggles in my faith walk that seem to come up over and over again.  It is easier for me to trust the Lord with my life than it is to trust Him with the lives of those I love.  Why is that?  I know in my head He has a plan for each life, but when I witness slips, fear nibbles its way through my defenses.  I need a strong reminder that God loves the individual even more than I do, and no matter how life may look, God is at work.  I have no control over anything anyway; it is highly practical to let go and let God do what He wills. 

Such is the battle going on in the story of Abra, Zeke, Joshua and other characters in Bridge to Haven.  We often see those we love approaching dangerous waters and we cry out in warning, but that doesn’t mean they’ll listen.  Sometimes they’ll even look over their shoulder and spit words of hatred at us.  And when they begin to drown, we may not be at the shore waiting, or in a boat nearby ready to offer a hand of hope.

Who bridges the gap when we’re not available?  Who is always there, one breath away? 

As with other stories, other issues slipped in unannounced while I worked.  I had starts and stops and got lost part of the time.  I had to scrap chunks that took me into a prairie dog field full of mounds and holes and a labyrinth beneath. Certain themes just keep coming up for me in every project I tackle.  Am I being resistant to what God is trying to teach me?  Is it just the fact that I’m human, cursed with a sin nature that keeps trying to take the upper hand? Sometimes it’s flat-out fear of the pain of going there, wherever there is.  Sometimes I don’t even know.  It’s enough that He does.  And He’ll show me when the time is right and I’ll get the message loud and clear from the still, small voice that belongs to the One who loves me beyond reason.

Abra has a painful journey to make before she finds what she’s yearning for.  So do Zeke and Joshua and others.  Aren’t we all in the same boat?  What they each want is what we all long to experience:  real love, acceptance, real forgiveness, a way to be made new. 

There is a way to have it all.  He’s awaiting your call.