Why Faithful?

One of the true joys of the writing journey is the people I've met along the way. If I started giving you a list of the delightful people I've met, it would take pages. But today, I want to introduce you to a dear sister, Kim Cash Tate. We met at ACFW in 2009 and quickly discovered we had a lot in common. We're both attorneys, homeschooling moms, and authors. This year, I was thrilled when Kim was asked to join the Women of Faith tour. The only bummer was that I didn't get to go hear her speak -- a goal for 2011. God has truly knit our hearts together in a special way. Her latest book released at the end of September, so I invited her over to share some of her heart with us. You'll see how much she truly loves the Lord. And I'm giving away a copy of Faithful, so be sure to leave a comment!

Here's Kim:

This book had been on my heart for a while. Unfaithfulness in marriage is a mainstay in the media, to the point where we hardly blink when we hear it—unless it’s out there as with Tiger Woods or it turns fatal as with football great Steve McNair.

And yes, unfaithfulness in marriage happens among believers as well. We hear about it often. I’ve personally witnessed decades-long marriages end due to an affair, and was rocked by it. These were Christians who loved God and His Word, people I greatly admired. If their marriages could end like that, whose was safe? They certainly didn’t think this would ever happen to them.

I came to a realization—none of us is immune. None of us is above temptation. It’s foolish to say, “I would never” because the enemy knows our weaknesses and can—and will—orchestrate weak moments. He knows how to create the perfect seduction. It wouldn’t be tempting if it didn’t cater to our exact desires. “But each one is tempted when he is carried away by his own lust” (James 1:14). What to do then? What hope is there?

Despite the weakness of our flesh and the cunning of the enemy, we have a promise with the power to conquer both—God is faithful.

I wanted to write a story that would capture that truth in various ways. Faithful features a leader in ministry who falls as a result of an affair; and a woman with a husband and four kids who’s drawn to another man because he’s a strong believer, the exact opposite of her husband. It also features a woman who’s forty, single, and committed to a lifestyle of purity until marriage—yet she finds herself in a compromising moment and must choose what she will do.

These are fictional characters, but they are dealing with real life struggles. Like us, they don’t always get it right. But the message I hope will stick—with readers and with myself—is the importance of clinging to God. It’s easy to drift, easy to be deceived into thinking we can live for Him without abiding constantly in Him. But faithfulness runs both ways. God is faithful to us—ever and always—and He wants us to be faithful to Him.

When we’re focused on loving God and staying true to Him, He takes care of every other relationship and situation. He gives us the grace and strength we need to conquer the circumstances that arise in our lives, even moments of temptation. “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

I hope you’ll find Faithful an entertaining read that keeps you turning the pages well into the night. But more than that, I hope you’ll find in those pages the love and faithfulness of the One who wants to draw us all into close relationship. I hope you’re encouraged to grow in faithfulness to Him.