Where the Heart Leads Quotes

“We mustn’t say anything that might pull him away from God’s plan for his life. Guilt has a way of tugging one off course.”
― Kim Vogel Sawyer, Where the Heart Leads

“finish cleaning up. A creak overhead let her know Mama was in the small attic. Again. Belinda grasped the lip of the sink, lowered her head, and closed her eyes. Lord, bring healing to Mama’s heart. She misses Papa so, but it’s not healthy for her to sit beside the trunk of his clothes and relive past days. She needs to move forward. A dog barked outside, and Belinda looked out the window. A dark figure moved through the alley—a man, tall and wide-shouldered, his head down and hands thrust deep in his pockets. She recognized him by his size. Herr Ollenburger. No other man in town carried such proportions. His posture exuded sadness, and Belinda’s heart caught in sympathy. So many of Gaeddert’s former residents seemed to have lost their sparkle. She leaned closer to the open window, watching as he turned into the backyard of the house across the alley. If he glanced her way, she would reward him with a cheery expression. To her delight, his chin angled in her direction. She called a greeting. “Good evening! Did you enjoy—” She drew back in embarrassment when she realized the man wasn’t Herr Ollenburger after all.”
― Kim Vogel Sawyer, Where the Heart Leads

“Being alone had one advantage: undisturbed time. She used it to read her Bible and study and pray. And think. In some ways, asking Jesus into her heart had been the easy part. Now she wanted to discern how His presence should affect her daily life.”
― Kim Vogel Sawyer, Where the Heart Leads

“Reading in Matthew, she had come upon Jesus’ bold statement that He did not enter the world to bring peace, but a sword. “For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother . . .” Odd words to deliver a sense of peace, yet the recognition that her very belief in Jesus would create a division as clearly defined as a sword’s swath helped her accept her parents’ continued refusal to allow her to speak of her new relationship with Christ. They weren’t rejecting her; they were rejecting her Savior. The condemnation still hurt, yet she could separate herself from it knowing it was a price she paid for the privilege of being God’s child.”
― Kim Vogel Sawyer, Where the Heart Leads

“How I abhor the cold, damp months of winter. Yet without them, we would probably not appreciate the warmth of spring.” She chuckled softly. “But then, I suppose that’s the beauty of any hardship—it brings greater appreciation for the pleasant times.”
― Kim Vogel Sawyer, Where the Heart Leads

“he guessed they all knew what he’d done and counted him foolish for blatantly going against their boss. Well, he reasoned as he dropped his jacket over the high back of his chair, there was a Bible verse about the world’s wisdom being foolish in the sight of God.”
― Kim Vogel Sawyer, Where the Heart Leads

“Pa’s voice, from a day long past, whispered a response to Thomas’s inner torment. “Son, choices a man makes, and not always does he choose the right. This is why we seek daily the Lord’s guidance.”
― Kim Vogel Sawyer, Where the Heart Leads

“Life is often hard, and it can seem very unfair. You’ve suffered many losses, yet haven’t you also learned that God is faithful? He sustains us, yes, Belinda?”
― Kim Vogel Sawyer, Where the Heart Leads

“But what was faith if not a belief that God would do what He promised? She scanned the words again: “Beauty for ashes . . . Joy for mourning . . . Praise for the spirit of heaviness . . .” She underlined the final words with a trembling finger: “That he might be glorified.”
― Kim Vogel Sawyer, Where the Heart Leads

“One more word of advice from an old woman, hmm?” She nodded, as if he’d spoken an agreement. “Make a determined effort to acquaint yourself with Daphne Severt’s character. I’m certain it will not be easy—she has been doubly blessed with external beauty, which would distract the most mature gentleman—but for the sake of avoiding heartbreak, you must try.”
― Kim Vogel Sawyer, Where the Heart Leads

“that is the way of life—people coming and going. A poor excuse for a father I would be if I held you back and kept you from blooming.”
― Kim Vogel Sawyer, Where the Heart Leads

“See, in the Bible it advises to train up a child in the way he should go. I have done that as best as I know how. My job . . . is done. Now your job begins—to seek God’s will and stay in it. I trust you to do that.”
― Kim Vogel Sawyer, Where the Heart Leads