“God’s not in the business of pampering His children. He’s in the business of perfecting them.”

“Wildflowers burst from the ground in vivid blues and whites and violets, creating a picture more pleasing than anything her hands could design. She didn't understand how it was possible, but Evan had been right. The abundance of snow had produced an abundance of wildflowers. More than she's ever seen before. Somehow, those cold, lifeless winter months had prepared the land for something breathtaking. Something beautiful. Something brimming with life.”

“Evan to Bethany: "Just trust me.""You say it like it's so easy.""Of course it's not.""Then how am I supposed to 'just trust' you?""Funny thing about trust...Sometimes you have to give it before you can experience it.”

“Do you have things in your past you're not proud of? Things that make you feel ashamed?''That's what makes Christ's death on the cross so personal.”

“God’s not in the business of pampering His children. He’s in the business of perfecting them.”

“After Sara's accident, so many well-intentioned people had offered her words of hope - that God would heal her, that she would see again - as if that was a given. It was the same hope people had offered Marilyn all those years ago. Story upon story of women who had struggled through infertility and ended up with a child on the other side.'God is good. It'll happen,' they had told her.As if God's goodness depended upon whether or not He answered prayers the way people wanted Him to answer. The hard truth was the sometimes He didn't. He hadn't rescued Marilyn from her infertility, and He hadn't rescued Sara from her blindness. But that didn't negate His goodness. It just meant that He had different plans.”