One of the reasons I love reading fiction is that it transports me to places I’ll probably never go and, with historical fiction, to times in history when things were very different. The second installment of The Bride Ships series, The Runaway Bride, by Jody Hedlund is the story of Arabella Lawrence, a young woman who escapes an arranged marriage by fleeing on a bride ship to a boomtown in British Columbia in 1862. Coming from wealth, she hopes to find a suitor equal to her in class, but one who will share her faith and treat her with respect.

She meets two very different men who pursue her and finds herself struggling over who to accept. This engaging story is full of adventure, intrigue, inspiration, and romance, and I found it hard to put it down until I’d finished it.

Arabella learns that “character is much more important than class” as she gets to know Richard Drummond, a Navy lieutenant, and Peter Kelly, the town baker. She arrives full of fear and insecurities, but in the process of becoming better acquainted with her suitors, she discovers who she really is and her faith in God deepens as she begins to trust Him more. “For so long she’d lived the way everyone else had wanted her to—not only the way polite society dictated but also at the beckon of her father, stepmother, … the chaperones on the ship, and now the lieutenant. Was it time to finally stop living according to the expectations of everyone else and instead find her direction from God alone?”

What a lesson for us all! How many times do we find ourselves making decisions based on pleasing someone else, rather than God? We can find ourselves negating our witness, rather than standing up to peer pressure. Paul tells us, “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” (Galatians 1:10 (ESV))

Not only do we weaken our witness when we seek approval from men rather than God, we can find our insecurity grows and our faith falters. Our strength should come from trusting in God and His Word, standing firm on what we know to be true about Him and His faithfulness, and seeking His approval and blessing.

Pete Kelly is not equal to Arabella’s class in society, yet he befriends her, demonstrating to her the passion of living out one’s faith. However, he has his own demons to work out. The more he tries to win her affections, the more he feels like everything is falling apart and the righteous life he strives for hasn’t brought the results he expects. His father tried to teach him that “claimed trials and difficulties would produce deeper character and genuine faith. At the time, Pete had scoffed at such an idea. But now, in the midst of his own tribulation, he saw the wisdom in it. And suddenly he realized he was at a crossroads. He could continue to wallow in anger at God and push Him away whenever things didn’t go smoothly. Or he could trust that God wasn’t as concerned about giving him a happy life as He was about developing a holy heart.”

The world tells us to seek happiness, but God is more concerned about our heart! So, how do we develop a holy heart and please Him? It takes courage!

At the beginning of the book, Arabella is given a plain, silver cross and told it is “her courage…like no other can [give but God].” Throughout the book, she holds on to the cross as a tangible way to bolster her courage. We, too, need courage and strength—to stand against the pressures of this world, our peers, and the devil, who is the father of lies.

I John 2:15 warns us, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” I Peter 5:8-9a exhorts us to “be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, [stand] firm in your faith.”

There are over 114 references throughout the Bible that speak of courage, depending on the version you read. Two that reassure me are:
  - Psalm 31:24 (NKJV) – “Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the Lord.”
  - John 16:33 (NASB) “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

The cross Arabella held tightly to is important—it is because of the cross we are able to find courage in the face of our fears. Jesus’ death on the cross and His resurrection three days later empower us to not only grab on to courage, but to gain that holy heart God wants to develop in us.

Blessings to you!
Lori