Willa Ibach

“If a mother is mourning not for what she has lost but for what her dead child has lost, it is a comfort to believe that the child has not lost the end for which it was created. And it is a comfort to believe that she herself, in losing her chief or only natural happiness, has not lost a greater thing, that she may still hope to "glorify God and enjoy Him forever." A comfort to the God-aimed, eternal spirit within her. But not to her motherhood. The specifically maternal happiness must be written off. Never, in any place or time, will she have her son on her knees, or bathe him, or tell him a story, or plan for his future, or see her grandchild.”
― C.S. Lewis, A Grief Observed

“submission is not an occasional event. It is a lifestyle. It isn’t a negative obligation on women, but the natural outworking of the gospel in every Christian’s life. Submission is an attribute of Jesus, so it ought to show up in all of his followers.”
― Carolyn Custis James, The Gospel of Ruth: Loving God Enough to Break the Rules

“We are not the masters of our own destinies. We are called to plan and strategize, to work and live active lives, to attempt things that are beyond us and tackle challenges that stretch us to the limit. Yet the outcome of our efforts, even our ability to exert ourselves, is always in God’s hands.”
― Carolyn Custis James, The Gospel of Ruth: Loving God Enough to Break the Rules

“never talk about submission without talking about Jesus, and in particular of the cross. Jesus’ version of submission is thoughtful, strong, purposeful, and sacrificial. It involves the full and determined embrace of his Father’s will (which governs everything Jesus does)3 and the voluntary pouring out of his life to rescue a lost world.4 Submission is both. It is redemptive. It is the gospel. It is a way of showing Jesus to the world.”
― Carolyn Custis James, The Gospel of Ruth: Loving God Enough to Break the Rules