Finding Sanctuary

[Editor’s Note: This post by author Tricia Goyer is part of the Patheos Book Club conversation about the new book Sweet Sanctuary.]

In 1991 my husband and I started attending a new church in Anderson, California and one of my new friends was a woman named Cindy. Living in Anderson it was the first time I’d lived farther than 10 minutes from my mother and grandmother. I missed them, and for a time I felt alone—tossed around by the storms of life without someone close to turn to.

As the months passed, I found my friendship with Cindy as a safe place. A sanctuary of friendship. Over the years we’ve been connected as we’ve raised kids and wrote books. If I needed to talk to someone who understand my world, I knew Cindy would be there.

Recently my friend Cindy has teamed up with Sheila Walsh for a new novel, Sweet Sanctuary. It’s a story about a son’s prayers, the stirring up of pained memories from the past, and a hope for a new life and new love. I connected with the main character Wren from the first page and wanted to know more about her story. I was eager to see how God was going to work, and how she was going to turn to Him as the storms of life hit.

What I love most about Sweet Sanctuary is the truth that our true Sanctuary is found in God.

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain. Hebrews 6:19

We have hope because the One we are anchored to has a flawless character. Just as the Israelites sent a high priest into the inner tabernacle, behind the curtain, we too can go into God’s presence. With hope … with bold steps … we can enter into the very presence of God.

As a Christian, I am thankful for this hope that keeps me secure. I’m thankful for those God brings into into our lives to be a shelter of friends. And I’m thankful for story. It’s amazing how we can sit down with a cup of tea and a good book and get swept away with fictional characters—yet in the amazing way God works He meets us there. As we read, we become a part of the story. The words flow through us into our hearts … and God can use even these fictional worlds to remind us He is here, for us, for this moment.

Tricia Goyer is the author of 25 books and has published over 300 articles for national publications such as Guideposts for Kids, Focus on the Family, Christian Parenting Today, Today’s Christian Woman and HomeLife Magazine. She won Historical Novel of the Year in 2005 and 2006 from American Christian Fiction Writers, and was honored with the Writer of the Year award from Mt. Hermon Writer’s Conference in 2003. Tricia’s book Life Interrupted was a finalist for the Gold Medallion Book Award in 2005. Visit her website here.