Photo by David Dibert
Ashley D. Wille’s life has always been a journey in search of answers and endings. Yet whenever she thought that something was within reach, it would always fade away. It was when she accepted her faith and delved deep into the heart of God that she discovered what it was that was missing. She has now taken her insights on faith and put them all in her book My Journey Through the Cross. Wille has learned a lot in her life, all taught by God in ways mysterious and clear.
In her transformative book, she lays out the journey of life from wanderer to true believer. Across the pages, readers learn how she escaped from the labyrinth that she had been lost in and uncovered how it had only been a grand mirage with the help of the light and grace of heaven.
The Journey Through the Cross
Wille’s story is not some grand testament to God’s truth, but a personal and intimate conversation. It is the fruition of many years of faithful searching and bearing that faith within her throughout her life–where she triumphed and where she was burdened with trials, it was faith that sustained her; and it was faith that brought her through it all. From personal struggles to family challenges to social pressures, there was nothing that her faith couldn’t shield from.

Photo by Erik Mclean
The Spirit God gave us does not make us timid but gives us power, love, and self-discipline.
In a world that is so often fraught with uncertainty and complexity, there is nothing much more weighty than to place one’s trust in the Lord.
Finding Wisdom on the Cross
Throughout the book, Ashley D. Wille anchors the insights of her faith on the cross. This was done deliberately because the cross is the tool that brought Christ suffering but also gave humanity its salvation through his sacrifice on it. This is to say that all journeys of faith must be done with that in mind–that which can be a source of agony can become a symbol of hope.
See, I have refined you, though not as silver;
I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.
In her deep meditation on the cross’s perennial symbolism and existence as an anchor to faith, Wille faces the cross and presses herself into it to better understand its significance. Yet, to dive deep into it risked her the chance of getting stuck inside it–and it was when she acknowledged that the cross was as much a symbol of finality as it was a symbol of sacrifice and redemption that she broke through it.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio
The Journey Beyond the Cross
Now armed in greater understanding and immersion of her faith, Wille continued her journey with the cross behind her and when she walked beyond its mighty shadow, her soul was set alight in freedom. God’s grace pulsed through her, always with her in both the ordinary and extraordinary moments of her life. This was when she knew the unconditional love and unwavering faithfulness that God had for her.
It was as if she were dancing into eternity, with the tune firmly on the back of her mind and her feet knowing all the steps.
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.
To Be Vulnerable in the Face of God
The most striking aspect of My Journey Through the Cross is Wille’s willingness to reveal her life–warts and all. She bares it all in the name of God, and her vulnerability only makes her stronger for it. There is nothing that is obscured; God’s light shows all her innermost thoughts: from her fears, her doubts, and her yearning.
The raw honesty that is infused in Wille’s writing is sure to resonate with readers and create a powerful connection. Not only is t his a testament to God’s grace, but also a testament to her faith in him.
My Journey Through the Cross invites readers with its candid storytelling and embark on a profound spiritual journey that inspires readers to confront their own challenges and misconceptions and, ultimately, embrace the transformative power of God’s grace.