There are a few things that I do want to pull from the second book that are good lessons for life.
Here is what the back of the book says:
"Aidan O'Connor was raised among pickpockets and prostitutes in a Duch colony on Java, Indonesia. But when a world-famous cartographer discovers her natural artistic talent, she is given a chance to leave her troubled life behind. Disguised as a boy, Aidan joins her benefactor at sea and begins the work of drawing the flora and funa of the new world. This fresh beginning leads her into adventure- and to a great love. But can this love survive the force of Aidan's past...and her ambitions for her future?"
That does not sound too bad.... The thing that I did not like was that the life of the wharf played a HUGE part in the book. (I am not going to go into any details. :P) Another thing that bothered me was that this was a romance book. To tell you the truth, those kind of books are not my favorite to read.
Anyhow, I did not post this just to tell you that. I wanted to tell you something that I picked up in the last words of the book and that was a theme through out the whole book.
It was this: "Aidan twined her arms about her husband's neck, then turned to see a crowd of curious guests watching from a discreet distance. She closed her eyes, wishing them away, and Sterling's hands slipped under her arms and wrapped around her waist. A delightful shiver spread over her as she remembered another time she had danced on the beach. In starlit dreams she had danced in a burgundy satin dress like this one, her partner conjured by girlish fantasies and longings.
How much more wonderful to dance with the man God had brought into her life! Sterling was more than she could have ever imagined, more than she had dared to hope she might deserve."
The book started on a...... well, lets just call it an interesting note, but it ended on a beautiful note. God took Aidan's filthy, dirty rags and turned them into something beautiful. Aidan was a daughter of a processor, but married a doctor.
He can take us as dirty, filthy, stained rags, and make them in to something more than we deserve. I have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, but I pray that my wedding will be a beautiful one.
Aidan worked in a tavern by the sea. It is not really the best place for a young lady of the age of 20 to be working. Aidan managed to keep herself pure for her husband. As you can see from the excerpt from the book, Aidan was glad that she did. Even though I said that this book was too romantic for me earlier (and I am keeping to that and not going back), it opened my eyes to yet another reason why I need to save myself for my husband. From the image that the author gave, the love can be so much more vibrant between a husband and wife, when the wife has saved herself.
Colossians 3:18 says, "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord."
If we do not save ourselves, we will not be able to submit to our husbands. It will be harder because we gave our heart away to another man and that part will always love him. After you have done that, you will never completely submit to your husband.
Now, I am not trying to say I am perfect, because I am not. I am far from perfect. These are just some thoughts I had while reading this book and thought I would share.
