Hey, Inspy readers. Ginger here. I have a special treat for you today. Catherine West is sharing about secrets and second chances and about her new book Bridge of Faith.
She’s also offering a Kindle copy of Bridge of Faith to one lucky reader who comments on this post.
Secrets & Second Chances
by Cathy West
“I didn’t lie, exactly, I just didn’t tell you the truth.”
Ever heard that before? Ever thought it? Said it? Done it?
You don’t have to raise your hand. We’re all friends here, right?
Secrets are funny things. Sometimes they can be good, like a surprise you’re planning for a friend or spouse, a birthday party or a trip out of town—the good kind of secret that it’s okay to keep. And then there are the other kinds of secrets. The ones that keep us up at night, haunt our waking hours and gnaw at that place deep inside until we just … can’t … take it anymore.
Maybe you have no idea what I’m talking about. Maybe you’re just so honest that you’ve never kept one of those sticky secrets. Never had to. But chances are, somebody you know has. And maybe they had good reason. But what’s that old saying? It all comes out in the wash … Or something like that. :)
And then what?
Okay, here’s my confession. I love writing about this stuff. I really do. Maybe there’s something wrong with me, but I love putting my characters in the most awful situations. Taking them places they never dreamed of going, pushing them down into deep dark tunnels that seem unending. I like to let them wallow in depths of despair, if you will.
Why? Am I just a little warped perhaps? No. At least I don’t think I am.
You see, in real life, sooner or later, we all go there. We all find ourselves in spots that make us uncomfortable, places we never ever imagined we’d wind up in, and we know we have no business being there, but by the time we figure that out, we’re not sure how to get out. Or how to tell anyone about it.
Secrets … whatever they may be, big or small … the secrets we keep can lead us into sin. But here’s the thing – and it’s really cool, so pay attention – God’s grace is bigger than any secret we can hide.
Seriously. How 
amazing is that? Yeah, you know, right? You’ve experienced it. He’s brought you out of that dark place, revealed the secrets that shadowed your every move, dealt with you and them, and wiped them away. Clean. Gone. Like it never happened.
Except it did and sometimes the guilt comes crawling back around, threatens to jump you and take you down. Right? And then you’re on your knees again.
Grace. Mercy. Forgiveness. Don’t we all struggle with the magnitude of those words? Don’t we all, at some point, wonder whether we’re really truly deserving of such astounding love?
I do. My characters do. And I’m pretty sure sometimes you do too.
This is why I write. This is why I let my characters go to those deep dark places. Because I know what it feels like down there. And I know what rescue and mercy and forgiveness feel like too. And oh, I so desperately want you, my friends, to know that feeling. To truly accept that there is nothing you can do, no secret you can bury, that could ever diminish the depths of God’s great love for you.
It’s a journey, isn’t it? Sometimes it’s so long and tiring and we just want to give up. But then someone comes along and grabs your hand and offers a smile, and you know you can do this. This thing called life.
We can do it together.
Game on.
Do you have someone in your life who came alongside you, grabbed your hand, and offered you much needed encouragement in one of those dark places? Tell us about him/her (without a name, if you prefer) for a chance to win an Kindle copy of Bridge of Faith.
INSPY Award-winning author Catherine West writes stories of hope and healing from her island home in Bermuda. When she’s not at the computer working on her next story, you can find her taking her Border Collie for long walks or tending to her roses and orchids. She and her husband have two grown children. Catherine’s latest novel, Bridge of Faith, is now available on Amazon.
Where to find Catherine:
Website – http://www.catherinejwest.com
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/CatherineJWest
Twitter – https://twitter.com/cathwest
Pinterest – http://www.pinterest.com/cathwest/
GoodReads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4715219.Catherine_West
Google + – https://plus.google.com/u/0/108781711729974539211/posts
Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/Catherine-West/e/B004RWZUHK/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
More about Bridge of Faith:
Two lives taken down different roads – one enduring love – one shot at starting over.
If only they believed in second chances.
Julia Connelly is finally free from twelve long years in an abusive relationship. Now able to live the life she’s longed for, Julia takes her two children back home to Vermont, hoping for peace and healing. The last person she expects to see is the man she eloped with at eighteen—who then abandoned her two months into their marriage, with little explanation.
When an assignment in the Middle East ends in tragedy, popular news correspondent, Reid Wallace, returns to his hometown seeking answers and peace of mind.
Confronting his past was not in the plan.
Now he’s asking different questions. Like why the only woman he’s ever really loved still mesmerizes him. Why the haunted expression she wears reaches right into his soul.
And why her twelve year-old son looks just like him.
They say you can’t go home again. Sometimes you don’t have a choice.
Ginger here again: I had the awesome privilege of reading this book. It was a poignant reminder of not only the value of forgiveness from God, from others, or the release in forgiving those who’ve hurt us, but also in forgiving ourselves. You will laugh, but you will also be brought to tears as you read Reid and Julia’s individual stories and their story of learning to live with past mistakes and forging a future. Catherine’s writing pulled me into the story and refused to let me go until the end.
Don’t forget to comment by 4/30 for a chance to win a Kindle copy of Bridge of Faith.
Blessings,
Ginger Solomon is a Christian, a wife, a mother to seven, and a writer—in that order (mostly). She writes or reads inspirational romance of any genre. Even when she’s busy homeschooling, doing laundry, or fixing dinner, reading or writing are not far from her mind. She is president of her local writing group, and blogs regularly for InspyRomance.com and at gingersolomon.com.
Happy to be on the INSPY Romance blog today! Looking forward to chatting!
I enjoyed your blog today. We all have our dark places. I had come out of a bad dating relationship about 6 months before I met Bryan (now my husband of 15 years). I felt like I had failed God and I was ashamed of myself. I knew a lot about what I didn’t want in a relationship, but not so much about what I did want or what God wanted. I struggled to trust people, especially men, and my faith waivered. Bryan was so sweet and honorable…but, I felt like he was too good to be true and I was afraid to love him. Thankfully he was patient and consistent in his love for me, and he taught me a great deal about the love God has for each of us if we only trust in Him. Thankfully God builds “bridges of faith,” when we don’t know how to build them ourselves.
I love these stories about second chances. It reminds us that because of God’s grace and mercy He gives us second and sometimes third chances and we should be willing to do the same for those in our lives that need that same mercy. The thing that is a mystery to me is why people do not see that God knows all we have ever done, thought, said in our lives and God still loves us and will forgive us if we seek Him and ask. Forgiveness is one of the hardest thing for us humans to do but we must try as we walk with Jesus in this world. I am looking forward to reading your book. Have a blessed day.
I had special friends that would give me advice. Such blessings in my life..
dkstevensneAToutlookD OtCoM
Enjoyed the post today!
I have a friend like that that I can call on any time. She is such a blessing.
This book looks great. Thank you for the chance to win a copy.
susanmsj at msn dot com
Hey Stacey! So true. Thanks for sharing that story, and I’m so glad God blessed you with a wonderful man in the end. When we’re in the thick of it, we often forget God is right there too, and He is faithful! Once we look back on those hard times, we see how He worked it all for good.
Yes, forgiveness is SO hard. Especially when we think the person doesn’t deserve it, or they haven’t even asked for it. With God’s grace, we can show His mercy. Not always easy, but I think we know in those moments when we’ve been obedient, that’s it has to be our only response.
Deanna, I so relate to that!! I don’t know where I’d be without those friends. Well, I do … shudder. :)
Susan, thanks for stopping by! Yes, those 2 AM friends are priceless. I have a few. I don’t think I’ve ever had to call them at 2AM, but I know I could if need be!
I went through a season of deep depression several years ago and saw a godly counselor. She was that person for me who offered me a hand and gave me the encouragement (and the tools!) I needed to climb out of the pit and never return. Thankful for Kim & the hope she granted me when I needed it the most!!
Enjoyed the interview. I have read and loved Bridge of Faith. It is a beautiful story of second chances. Since I have already read it, please do not include me in the drawing and give someone else a change to win a copy of this wonderful book.
This book really does sound so good! God is a God of second chances (or thirds or forths….) and He really does restore what the canker-worm destroys. I should know, because He did it for me :-) I can probably relate in some way to this story as I had come out of an abusive marriage many, many years ago & God has done so much healing on so many levels it’s just amazing! I now have a husband who is the very personification of what love is as described in I Corinthians. Jesus is my rock, but my husband is also the one who holds my hands & has shown me that I am worthy of that love!
There have been a couple of huge mistakes in my life (without going into it all) & I did end up in a place I KNEW I didn’t belong and didn’t know how to get back! But God is so gracious and loving and forgiving. Once I had committed to coming back to Him, He opened the right doors and restored me. It wasn’t an easy road or a quick one, it took a while, but I am so thankful for His grace and mercy! I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for that :-)
Thank you for your honest post! We’re all human and we should be here for each other through our struggles, trails & tribulations. Thank goodness for spouses or friends who help lift us up in prayer, encourage us in our walk or are just there with two listening ears when we need to talk!
I am so fortunate to have a best friend who has seen me through breakups, job changes, loss of pets, etc. Thank you so much for the post and giveaway!
mo1202007ATyahooDOTcom
Thanks for joining us, Cathy.
I don’t know where I’d be without my best friends! We are fortunate indeed! :)
Hi Trixi, thanks for reading and I am glad you enjoyed the post. Sounds like you will enjoy Bridge of Faith! So happy that God saw you through those tough times. :)
Hi Ann! Thanks for your support and kind words about Bridge of Faith. I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
Carrie, I’m happy to hear your story had a happy ending! God is indeed good and always gives us what we need just when we need it!
I enjoyed reading the blog today. It was very intriguing.
This book sounds like one I’d love to read.
Definitely know what it is to be in a ‘dark place’ and now a relative I hold dear to my heart has gone to a ‘dark place’ of her own. She has convinced herself it is okay, because someone told her he was sorry, to return and move in with her ex, who treated her badly emotionally and ‘hands on’. I know this woman made a deliberate choice and she has all her faculties in her 79+ years but it hurts to see her go through this and pray for her to come out relatively unscathed. One can only hope. At the same time, I know that she has called one last challenge to her in her life as another opportunity to finally understand that being alone is not a bad thing. Congratulations on your new book ‘Bridge of Faith’. — Cindy C.H.
Thanks for sharing, CIndy. It’s always hard to watch these things play out, but sometimes all you can do is pray and be there for them. :)