Something I have learned from David is overcoming doubt. The strength of David's faith allows him to place his trust in God and walk with sure, determined steps through life. He has gone through more ups, downs, and life changes than anyone else I've ever met and he still remains steadfast and optimistic.
On the other hand, I am a notorious self-doubter.
If I had a nickel for every short story, novel, and essay I started and doubted myself into never finishing, I could self-publish One Way to Grace on sheets of solid gold. The beauty of writing with David is that it eliminates the solitude of the artistic process and allows me to draw from David's sureness. When I start to feel smaller than the project or doubt in my ability, there he is to remind me that together he and I are unstoppable.
How will One Way to Grace help others to overcome their own doubt?
The first half of One Way to Grace is devoted to David's childhood in Northern Ireland and how his life spiraled out of control due to alcoholism and an addiction to reckless behavior. (Two things which usually go hand in hand.)
Then, everything changes for David.
A single moment of trusting a sign that he needed to get help, instead of doubting his ability to do so, transforms David from a lost soul with no direction to a new man with sobriety, faith, and purpose. It would have been easier for David to ignore that sign, doubt that moment of clarity, and continue on toward an empty existence.
When doubt creeps into David's thoughts, he turns to Scripture and the spirit of Christ for strength and guidance. We all have the ability to find the strength of our convictions, whether those convictions deal with faith, relationships, or our careers. To read the long, and sometimes painful, journey David took to go from a shy, scared little boy to a strong man of God teaches us that doubt is a small hill to climb and on the other side is the power to achieve.
