A Moment of Weakness (45 page)
Read A Moment of Weakness Online
Authors: Karen Kingsbury
Tags: #Fiction, #Christian, #Romance, #Contemporary, #General
“Well, I want her here. She wasn’t in any of the pictures and …”
“And?” Tanner pulled her toward him and kissed her tenderly.
“She didn’t get to meet Ty yet.” Jade gazed out the window toward the ocean. “I want her to meet him before—”
Tanner held a finger to her lips. “God knows that, Jade. Don’t worry about her. She’ll probably be here any minute.” He kissed her tenderly. “Have I told you lately how beautiful you are, Mrs. Eastman?”
Jade’s heart soared and she returned his kiss. The nearness of him made her long for the morning, when they would leave for four days in Cabo San Lucas. Ty would stay with the Bronzans, and after that the three of them would spend a weekend in San Diego, deep-sea fishing off the coast.
“Have I told you how much I’m going to enjoy being Mrs. Eastman?” Jade snuggled closer to him.
“Okay, okay, break it up.” Matt bounded into the kitchen with Hannah and Ty in tow. He wore a conspiratorial grin, and Jade couldn’t help but smile. The Bronzans had become very dear friends, and she was sure they would only get closer in the years to come.
Matt and Ty squared up a few feet away while Hannah shrugged sweetly in the background. “Now—” Matt poked an elbow at Ty, and the child grinned—“Your son has a special request. Something about checking out the fishing equipment in the garage.” Matt held up his hands in mock surrender. “I know it’s not appropriate to talk about fishing on your wedding day and all, but.” He grinned at Jade. “If I could borrow Tanner for just a few minutes.”
Jade laughed. “Go ahead. Hannah and I will stay here and talk about the joys of cleaning fish.”
The last guests had gone home, and only Hannah’s daughter, Jenny, remained in the other room studying for a high
school English exam. The women watched as the men disappeared into the garage, talking all at once and sounding like three children on the verge of a great discovery.
When they were gone, Hannah leaned against the kitchen counter and smiled at Jade. “Congratulations.”
“Thanks. You guys have done so much for us.…”
Hannah cocked her head. “You know, in some ways you and Tanner remind me of Matt and me. Love forged out of pain.” Hannah hesitated. “Know what I mean?”
Jade knew pieces of Hannah’s background, but not the whole story. She nodded. “Yours was much more painful, though. Tanner’s told me about what happened. The collision.”
There was a long-ago kind of sadness in Hannah’s eyes as she gazed at Jade. “My husband and daughter were killed by a drunk driver.” She paused, and Jade could see she was at peace with this. But it was painful all the same. “Matt prosecuted the case.”
Jade reached out and squeezed Hannah’s hand. She had the distinct feeling this woman was going to be a close friend someday. “Tell me about it, okay? When the time’s right.”
Hannah returned the squeeze and smiled. “It’s an amazing story of God’s faithfulness.”
Jade nodded thoughtfully. “He’s definitely that.”
The men returned, and Matt carried with him a dusty guitar.
Hannah laughed. “I thought you were looking at fishing poles.”
“We were. But we found my old guitar. Isn’t that great?”
Hannah exchanged a look with Jade, and both women giggled. “You planning to use it as bait?” Hannah walked to Matt and ran her hand over the neck of the guitar.
Matt looked hurt. “No.” He turned to Tanner. “Actually it was Tanner’s idea.”
“What?” Jade moved between Ty and Tanner and put her arm around them both.
Tanner kissed her cheek. “I thought we could sit on the deck and sing while Matt plays.”
Jade smiled. It was a warm evening; the sun was just beginning to set. “Perfect.”
Hannah wrinkled her nose. “Matt, I haven’t cleaned the chairs out there in weeks.”
Jade cut in. “It’s okay, Hannah. Really. It’ll be the perfect ending to the most perfect day.” She smiled at Tanner and then Ty.
“Do I have to sing?” Ty looked worried, and the adults laughed at his sincerity.
“No, son.” Tanner tousled Ty’s hair, and Jade felt as if her heart would burst. Any concerns she’d had about whether Tanner and Ty would bond had long since dissolved. Tanner led the way outside and the others followed.
When they were seated, Tanner grinned at Ty. “Of course, you haven’t heard me sing before. We just might need your help.”
The ocean stretched out toward the horizon, gentle swells glimmering under the setting sun. Matt tuned his guitar and then called for requests.
“I have one.” Hannah gave Jade a knowing look. “My favorite song.”
“Ah, yes …” Matt practiced a few cords. “ ‘Great Is Thy Faithfulness.’ ” He looked at the others. “You guys know it?”
Jade nodded and wove her fingers through Tanner’s hand. It was the perfect song for her. And Jade had the feeling it was equally perfect for Hannah.
It had been a day to remember, but still it had been hectic at times. When Matt began playing the song, the strains carried
on the breeze and soothed what remained of the wrinkles in Jade’s soul.
“Great is thy faithfulness, Oh, God our Father, there is no shadow of turning with thee. All I have needed thy hands hath provided; Great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me.…”
They had just begun the second chorus when Doris Eastman and her nurse appeared at the foot of the deck. A broad smile filled Tanner’s face, and he rose to meet her. While the song played on, he helped his mother up the three wooden steps to a cushioned seat. Doris’s nursemaid took the spot beside her, and Tanner returned to Jade’s side.
“Great is thy faithfulness, great is thy faithfulness, morning by morning new mercies I see.…”
Ty tapped Jade’s arm and motioned toward Mrs. Eastman. Jade nodded, and the boy crossed the deck and gently hugged the grandmother he’d never known. She held him close, her frail arms shaking, and then she moved so that he had room to sit down. Smiling innocently at the older woman beside him, Ty took her fragile hand in his and joined in the singing. Somehow the song magnified the beauty of the moment, and Jade’s voice grew stronger.
At that moment, Tanner’s mother caught Jade’s gaze, and her eyes spoke volumes. Jade nodded to Doris and smiled. The old woman wanted to be her friend. Jade could see it clearly, and her heart melted. They were finally, completely at peace with each other, and, God willing, the future would hold many chances to talk.
Jade savored the words to the song, singing them in a prayer to God alone. As she did, Doris closed her eyes and raised an unsteady hand toward heaven, adding her voice to the others. “Great is thy faithfulness, great is thy faithfulness.…”
Jade understood. The song belonged to Doris, too. It belonged to all of them. God had kept his promise and given every one of them a hope and a future. All because his mercies truly were new every morning.
Jade clung to Tanner’s hand and closed her eyes as the final strains of the song drifted out to sea.
“All I have needed, thy hand hath provided.… Great is thy faithfulness, great is thy faithfulness, great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.”
Dear Reader,
First, you must know what a privilege it is to have been handed several hours of your time as you followed the story of Jade and Tanner. I hope you have received much in return as you traveled with them through the abysmal pit of sin and regret to the peace-filled plains of God’s mercy and forgiveness.
As with each of my novels, it is my prayer that
A Moment of Weakness
did more than entertain you. I pray it helped you—as it has me—to grasp one of God’s many truths. In this case, God’s truth about sin.
There are obvious lessons in
A Moment of Weakness
for those tempted by sexual sin. But perhaps you cannot relate to this temptation. Maybe you are one who has—with good intentions—stood in judgment. Someone in your church family or even your immediate family has succumbed to a moment of weakness in his or her own life, and you, like Doris Eastman, have led the contingent in seeing that he or she receives punishment in full.
I remember well the story of a preacher’s young daughter who wound up pregnant. She was broken and repentant, still the congregation was split in their reaction. Some hugged her close and promised prayer and support. Others pointed fingers behind her back, whispering mean-spirited words and inciting outrage among that body of believers. The girl was a 4.0 student with a brilliant mind and, before her weakest moment, an equally brilliant future. Though she could have secretly had an abortion and maintained her pure image, she chose to take responsibility for her sin and move forward in God’s grace. Today God has blessed her with a godly husband and several beautiful children.
I never feared the repercussions her sin would have on her
own life. Not with her faith so firmly rooted in Christ and his saving grace. Rather I feared for those who considered themselves judge and jury, those who were ashamed of her and held a grudge against her. Scripture teaches us not to judge others or we, ourselves, will be judged. Forgive one another, encourage one another, build one another up. Love one another.
Please learn a lesson from Doris and remember God’s grace the next time someone in your circle gives in to sin.
That said, I believe more of us relate to Jade and Tanner. Most people have been or will be tempted by the powerful pull of sexual sin. The Bible is as clear on this issue as it is on any that God feels strongly about. Scripture says flee immorality. Avoid sexual sin. Be pure. Be holy, set apart. Do not commit adultery. As with Tanner and Jade, God does not give these commands to punish us or dampen our pleasure. Rather he provides them so that our joy will be complete. Had Tanner and Jade waited until they were married, they would have been spared a decade of heartache and despair.
God’s ways are always more satisfying than acting out what seems or feels right in our own moments of weakness.
Sadly, in America today, sexual sin—including pornography—has been cast into an almost comical light. This despite the fact that it has ruined people of authority and power on both sides of the political spectrum, people in Hollywood, and people in churches across the country. Our society seems to have bought the lie that somehow sexual sin cannot be avoided.
As a nation, we are wrong in this thinking, wrong for encouraging it, and wrong for celebrating sexual sin as a means of entertainment. It is time that you and I and all who would believe take a stand for holiness and purity. If that means turning off the television set or canceling your Internet service to
maintain a healthy, holy environment for you and your children, then turn it off and cancel it. Remember, we are to hate what is evil; cling to what is good.
Finally, if you or someone you know is struggling with sexual sin, the time has come to seek godly counsel. There is glorious hope and a bright future for those who will get right with God, who will repent and turn away from this pervasive, addictive sin. Otherwise, there is only dark desperation and the consequences of sin as they are spelled out in Scripture.
In the meantime, I will pray along with you that each of us grows closer to God, his perfect Word, and his perfect plan for our lives.
Jesus Christ wants to be our personal friend and Savior. If you don’t have a relationship with him and want to know more about becoming a Christian, making sure your name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, please connect with someone at a Bible-believing church in your area.
God is there, even now. Waiting, watching. Ready to forgive, ready to make us new creations, to welcome us with open arms into his everlasting presence.
As always, I’d love to hear from you. Write me at:
Multnomah Publishing
P.O. Box 1720
Sisters, OR 97759
Or e-mail me at:
[email protected]
The publisher and author would love to hear your
comments about this book.
Please contact us at:
www.mpbooks.com
1. Read Jeremiah 29:11. How does it make you feel knowing that God has plans for you?
2. Among the characters in
A Moment of Weakness
, can you most relate to Jade, Tanner, or Doris Eastman?
3. Tell about a special childhood friend you had. What do you remember about that time? Have you kept in touch with him or her? Why or why not?
4. During the years Tanner and Jade were apart, how was God working in Tanner’s life?
5. How was God working in Jade’s life during those years?
6. Why do you think Doris Eastman was a valuable character in this book?
7. How did you first come to have faith in Christ? Was your situation similar to Jade’s? If so, explain. If not, tell about someone you know who has doubts about God, the way Jade did.
8. When have you felt a certainty that God was at work, shaping your future?
9. Religious persecution is a common thing today. Discuss examples or times when you have seen Christians persecuted in the modern-day United States.
10. What religious freedoms do you see disappearing in our country? What can you do to help shore up the freedoms promised to all Americans in the U.S. Constitution?
