Jessica Dotta > Quotes

“I have found that those who try to shield us from the truth, regardless of the reason, end up doing the greatest harm. Truth alone sets you free, not lies and omissions.”
― Jessica Dotta, Born of Persuasion

“We often fail to recognize our greatest godsend simply because it comes bundled in suffering.”
― Jessica Dotta, Price of Privilege

“Few value just how fragile a person’s psyche is. All those pieces, both the good and bad, the values, the lessons, the beliefs that construct us—they’re all woven into the fabric of our being. Once you start pulling out the first thread, the entire person is in danger of unravelling.”
― Jessica Dotta, Born of Persuasion

“People may decry God when all is lost—screaming from the wreckage of their lives, demanding answers, unable to comprehend why. Yet who are we to tell a master painter the shades and colors we approve of and the ones we don't—we who are unskilled, and who have no cognizance of the painting's subject matter?”
― Jessica Dotta, Price of Privilege

“Was it possible to be homesick for a soul?”
― Jessica Dotta, Price of Privilege

“None of us have escaped being both good and evil, sometimes simultaneously.”
― Jessica Dotta, Price of Privilege

“When tempers flare, people are always far more interested in expressing their hurt than in seeking solutions.”
― Jessica Dotta, Mark of Distinction

“How does one bear the ache that accompanies seeing the goodness resting in the soul of someone who denies you love because they see only your shortcomings?”
― Jessica Dotta, Price of Privilege

“I have since learned that there are those who try to make others feel guilty simply by acting as though they are culpable. I”
― Jessica Dotta, Born of Persuasion

“It's bad enough my men wonder why I must kidnap my own wife to hold a conversation with her.”
― Jessica Dotta, Mark of Distinction

“No longer caring that it wasn’t proper, I lay on my side and accepted the dog’s warm kisses and energetic wagging of his tail. With nudges of his wet nose and high whines, he invited me to take consolation in his company and to have a good cry.”
― Jessica Dotta, Born of Persuasion

“Each one of us is either building his own kingdom or God's Kingdom on earth. Which of those two realities do you suppose we're in as we sit here, putting on airs, congratulating ourselves on having figured out life to our advantages, amassing our comforts for the sole benefit of our families? While outside our doorstep people are desperate for food. Desperate to know their existence matters. Desperate for us to give them acceptance.”
― Jessica Dotta, Price of Privilege

“I thought you had outgrown such pranks.”
― Jessica Dotta, Born of Persuasion

“Not many choose to die, and I know better than anyone how dear your former life is to you. If you hand over that, do you really believe such a sacrifice would go unnoticed?” The idea of love won me. I could never follow the God of my vicar’s making, but this—this made me yearn. The thought of a God who waited patiently, hand outstretched, eagerly anticipating me . . . that thought undid me. Perhaps it was because of Isaac too. His daily care and tender ministrations set another example, painted another image.”
― Jessica Dotta, Mark of Distinction

“Oh, Julia! Oh dear!” Mrs. Windham tottered down the stone pathway, holding scissors aloft. Beneath the crook of one elbow she clutched an oversized basket, and with her free hand, she clutched an apron full of clippings. Breathless, she reached over the wooden gate and unlatched it. Scatterings of rosemary and lavender fell about her feet, scenting the air. “Julia dear, what on earth? Tomorrow, tomorrow, not today. Depend upon you to come early. Oh, and I had such a lovely dinner of stewed pigeon planned, too. Now we shall have to eat rabbit pie and cold beef. Oh, it’s all been ruined.”
― Jessica Dotta, Born of Persuasion

“My father sat ensconced in his chair like a fabled god. Tall, strong, immovable. But I saw through his illusion and despaired.”
― Jessica Dotta, Mark of Distinction

“Who could have foreseen that in order for either of us to ever be whole again, our lives would need to be broken? And who but a master hand could have guided us safely along such a path?”
― Jessica Dotta, Mark of Distinction

“Those of you who were alive that year might well remember the early frost of 1838. My arrival coincided with the hardship faced by the farmers that August. Though harvest hadn’t quite begun, an overcast sky stretched over the rolling farmlands bringing a reminder of winter’s cruel bite. How well I remember the coach jostling down the familiar lane, its wheels grinding through the familiar ruts. I felt no premonition of danger, only relief, sharp and undefiled. At Am Meer, home of my dearest childhood memories, I hoped to find that which I needed most —a respite between the past and my uncertain future.”
― Jessica Dotta, Born of Persuasion

“Consider the One you've never been hidden from. The One who watched you while you were yet in the womb, dreaming his plan, waiting to make you his lover. His goal for you isn't me, but him.”
― Jessica Dotta, Price of Privilege

“You’re on the right path; I can say that much. It is no easy decision to lay down your life, especially without assurance of what that will entail. You fear being further broken, but consider that in the hands of Jesus, a broken loaf can feed thousands, while intact it will feed only one.”
― Jessica Dotta, Mark of Distinction

“I buried my face in my hands, thinking he didn’t have to go downstairs and sit at the dinner table with the ice king next. “If this is healing, I’d rather be sick. I need my ability to shut everyone and everything out, but it’s gone. I can’t cope.” To my surprise, Jameson laughed, then crossed the chamber to join me on the window seat. Looking at Edward, he asked, “Does she know the story about the lame man whom Peter healed?” Edward threw his palms up as if to say my religious training was still a mystery to him and that Jameson should leave me be. “I know it,” I said, not in the mood to hear it recited. Gritting my teeth, I looked toward the door, feeling as trapped as I used to with my former vicar. I couldn’t handle people acting as though everything could be solved with the Bible. “All right, I won’t repeat it, then.” Jameson held up innocent hands. “But have you ever considered how costly and painful that healing was for the man?” I rolled my eyes, unable to hide my antagonism toward receiving a religious lecture. “Yes, how he must have hated being able to walk.” “Oh, I’m certain it was exciting at first. A huge miracle, center of attention, a great testimony, and all that.” Jameson rested one foot on the bench, then laced his fingers about his knee. “But afterwards there’s still the business of living to get to. What do you suppose he did for work the following morning?” I touched my temples, not certain how I’d fallen into this conversation and wondering the quickest way out. “Think about it, Mrs. Auburn. He was lame from birth, which meant he was a beggar by trade. He’d never been trained for any occupation, never been apprenticed. Likely he couldn’t read or write. He had to learn to adjust to a half life to survive. The entire way he viewed the world, structured his life, and adapted, all gone—” Jameson snapped his fingers—“in the blink of an eye.” I said nothing but looked at him. At least he wasn’t telling me what I ought to be feeling or thinking. And like it or not, I was now captivated enough to listen. “Everywhere he went, he likely was stared at. Some probably suspected he’d faked being lame for pity and money. To be healed ended up costing him everything he knew. His entire world was deconstructed, leaving him the hard task of rebuilding it.” Jameson’s voice grew tender as I only stared. “Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? I’ve known full-grown men to collapse under less strain than you’ve endured. You’ve been crippled from birth, too, just in a different sort of way. It hurts to be healed, but would you honestly rather be lame at the gate?”
― Jessica Dotta, Price of Privilege

“Edward had been so strong that even the afternoon I learned”
― Jessica Dotta, Born of Persuasion

“Not the mysterious letters that drained the life from Mama.”
― Jessica Dotta, Born of Persuasion