Home > Work > The Runaway Bride (The Bride Ships, #2)
1 " This man was ... a man who could see past disappointment and lost dreams in order to still find hope and joy in living. "
― Jody Hedlund , The Runaway Bride (The Bride Ships, #2)
2 " Arabella fumbled in her pocket, retrieved the silver cross, and held it out to Pete’s dad. “You gave this to Pete, and he gave it to me. It has blessed us both and has taught us to seek after the One who can truly give strength and courage in our greatest hour of need. Now I return it to you. May God give you courage in the days to come. "
3 " His words were like a soothing balm covering over the voices inside always taunting she’d never be good enough. He’d accepted her in spite of her mistakes. He approved of what she’d done. And he believed she was capable. "
4 " She might not be able to eradicate every prejudice around her, but she had to start somewhere to make a difference. And the best place for that was with herself. "
5 " But one by one she’d been cutting away the tangle of propriety so that with each thread she cut loose, she was slowly finding the freedom to be herself and not someone else’s version of who she ought to be. "
6 " Pete had determined that this time, with this new ship, he’d be among the lucky ones to get a bride. And when Peter Kelly set his mind to something, he’d do it. "
7 " No matter his status or background, Pete was an honorable man. Maybe she’d thought he wasn’t good enough for her, but she’d been wrong. She didn’t deserve a friend like him. "
8 " If he believed in her, was it time to start believing in herself? Somehow his confidence in her made her want to do more and be better. But how? "
9 " I have to stop worrying about what everyone is saying and believing. If we’re living rightly before God and pleasing Him, then that’s all that matters. "
10 " Her heart swelled with the ache of wishing for something better, for a world where no one had to be undesirable. Could she, in her small way, be a part of making that happen? "
11 " Everything about Peter Kelly was unsettling. He had a way about him of turning her carefully ordered world inside out and upside down. "
12 " Somewhere in Scripture, it says, ‘Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’ I always figured if God thinks the condition of a person’s heart matters more, then I should too. "
13 " But perhaps God could use personal pain as a bridge to reach others who were suffering "
14 " Was it time to finally stop living according to the expectations of everyone else and instead find her direction from God alone? "
15 " God's given us each a gift - a talent - to use for His purposes. Mayhap that's why you're here in this place. To discover what that is. "
16 " But now, at that moment, she couldn't foresee a future without him in it. He was everything she'd ever needed but hadn't known until now. He treated her fairly, without the condescension that many men used with women. He gave her opportunities to try new things, challenged her to do more than she believed she could, expected her to admit her mistakes, and allowed her to be herself without pretense. "
17 " The world around us will always shift their definitions of what's right and wrong. But God's Word never changes. His truth is steadfast. Why build my life on sinking sand when I have something much more solid I can live upon? "