“My Journey Through the Cross” is an insightful autobiography of Ashley D. Wille. It details a big slice of her life. Her autobiography is dedicated to everyone who is facing difficult circumstances, looking into relationships, or seeking higher purpose in life.
Ashley’s “My Journey Through the Cross” book is really immersive. She paints heartfelt snapshots of her life vividly—it’s as if we’re beside her—walking us through her insights and inner struggles at every part of her journey to God. In the book, Ashley shares with us her profound experiences, showing us how she could break through false layers of thinking and move into a deeper relationship with God.
The “Journey” Explained
Ashley’s journey to God started ever since she was younger. She recalls spending a lot of time in her room. Even in her preteens, she always believed that God was in there somewhere, but she doesn’t know Him very well yet. She had an awareness of God already. When she was younger, she recalls attending the local church. She loved the church because it felt like a safe space for her. It felt like her refuge because she didn’t experience the bullying at school or the punishment from her parents.
As shown in the book cover, we all go through three key phases in our journey to the cross:
1. Before the Cross
This is the part where everyone experiences condemnation, fear, and heaviness that conjures a feeling of desperation to be with God. For Ashley, this is how the Lord called her to the cross.
2. Going TO the Cross
In this phase, God beckoned her to the cross. She considers the journey of pressing into the cross as the most painful one. “My Journey Through the Cross” elaborates on this in further detail. The pain she went through conjures images of the same pain of Christ while He was nailed to the cross. But it wasn’t all pain. Jesus was with her amid suffering and life’s hardest tribulations
3. Beyond the Cross
After everything you’ve been through on your journey to the cross, you will reach past behind it. You will emerge from the other side of the cross that no one knows about. It’s where there is glory, grace, and no sin. Therefore, the journey is a trajectory through the cross. It’s a long transformative journey through faith, where, in the end, you overcome guilt, seek spiritual freedom, and develop a deeper connection with God.
“My Journey Through the Cross” elaborates on Ashley’s relationship with God as it grew stronger and deeper. Even when she reached past the cross, life’s testing obstacles will always be there. She’s still in the real physical world that’s broken, and everything is challenging. But because the Holy Spirit is inside her, bearing the knowledge and wisdom of God and spiritual freedom, it’s become “a whole new world.” With the spirit of the living God in her heart, Ashley possesses newfound strength to conquer all trials and a cheerful spirit to celebrate the freedom Christ has given her—which is truly priceless.
A Few Excerpts from “My Journey Through the Cross”
- Yet true and lasting satisfaction always proved just out of reach. Now, in midlife, I have come to find my soul satiated in God. Through sweet surprises, difficult climbs and excruciating valleys, the Master’s hand has shaped me. Along the way, God has taught me many things. What He taught me the most is that many of my beliefs about Him were wrong. (p.ix)
- I was always aware of an amorphous cavern lurking in my soul, one with a voracious appetite. (p.11)
- I fought fear in growing closer to Him [God] because I had subconsciously superimposed my childhood memories of my dad onto the Heavenly Father. (p.7)
You can also learn more about Ashley and her experiences and lessons on her YouTube channel: @ashleydwille.
The Takeaways
“The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
psalm 34:18
Like Ashley herself, we’re all broken. We have faced numerous obstacles in life that have broken our hearts. But it is in these moments where the Lord is closest to us. When we’re sad, in trauma, or lost, He is close to us. That’s when we’re drawn nearer to Him.
As we close the last pages of our own copy of “My Journey Through the Cross” by Ashley D. Wille, may we reflect on the lengthy journey that God has put us through to get closer to us. May we realize that God has been doing everything for us to come to Him, where He can be a safe space for us.
Get a copy at Amazon, Waterstones, or Barnes & Noble. You can also make Wholesale & publisher direct orders.
