book report part 4: "Captivating"

obviously i've learned a lot from this book or i wouldn't be writing so much about it. i just found it to be an excellent encouragement for women. so women, if you get a chance, pick up this book. i think it will show you a lot about yourself and show you things you may have never thought of before.

the next section i wanted to share was on romance. as a woman, romance is part of my dna. God knows that. He wants us to be His bride. here are some thoughts Stasi & John Eldredge had on being "romanced".

A woman becomes beautiful when she knows she's loved. We've seen this many times-you probably have too. Cut off from love, rejected, no one pursuing her, something in a woman wilts like a flower no one waters anymore. She withers into resignation, duty, and shame. The radiance of her countenance goes out, as if a light has been turned off. but this same woman, who everyone thought was rather plain and unengaging, becomes lovely and inviting when she is pursued. Her heart begins to come alive, come to the surface, and her countenance becomes radiant. We wonder, "Where has she been all these years? Why, she really is captivating."

We live for romance. We are wired for it; it's what makes our hearts come alive. God longs to bring this into your life himself. He wants you to move beyond the childlike, "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so." He wants to heal us through his love to become mature women who actually know him.

What is it that God wants from you?

He wants the same thing that you want. He wants to be loved. He wants to be known as only lovers can know each other. He wants intimacy with you. Yes, he wants your obedience, but only when it flows out of a heart filled with love for him. "Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me." (John 14:21). Following hard after Jesus is the heart's natural response when it has been captured and has fallen deeply in love with him.