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The book Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge is a beautiful book. "Unveling the mystery of a woman's soul," the cover reads. And that is true. The book has opened my eyes to so much: what it means to be a woman, the deepest desires of a woman's heart, what true beauty is. So many things that we don't understand or realize about women. We have been created to be beautiful, to be captivating, but after the Fall that seemed to have been lost.
I've been skimming throught the book again, and as I do I realize things that I never did reading it the first time. As I do, I'm going to try to write them in here so I won't forget the main points that I really want to remember. Here's one I just found:
"For a woman to unveil her beauty, means she is offering her heart. Not primarily her works or her usefulness (think Martha in the kitchen). Offering her presence. ...
"The gift of presence is a rare and beautiful gift. To come - unguarded, undistracted - and be fully present, fully engaged with whoever we are with at that moment. Have you noticed in reading the Gospels that people enjoyed being around Jesus? They wanted to be near him - to share a meal, take a walk, have a lingering conversation. It was the gift of his presence. When you were with him, you felt he was offering you his heart. When we offer our unguarded presence, we live like Jesus. And we invite others to do the same. ...
"Beauty isn't demanding. instead, it speaks from desire ..." (pg 138, 139)
And:
"To possess true beauty, we must be willing to suffer. I don't like that. Just writing it down makes my heart shrink back. Yet, if Christ himself was perfected through his sufferings, why would I believe God would not do the same with me? Women who are stunningly beautiful are women who have had their hearts enlarged by suffering. By saying, "Yes" when the world says, "No." By paying the high price of loving truly and honestly without demanding that they be loved in return. And by refusing to numb their pain in the myriad of ways available. They have come to know that when everyone and everything has left them, God is there. They have learned, along with David, that those who go through the desolate valley will find it a place of springs." (pg. 143)
And this was something really important she wrote:
"Every woman posesses a captivating beauty. Every woman. But for most of us, it has been long buried, wounded, and captive. It takes time for it to emerge into wholeness. It needs to be cultivated, restored, set free.
"How do we cultivate beauty? How do we become ever more beautiful? By tending to our hearts with great care, as a master gardener tends to her work ...
"Contrary to what the world claims, Beauty does not diminish with time; Beauty deepens and increases."
I've been skimming throught the book again, and as I do I realize things that I never did reading it the first time. As I do, I'm going to try to write them in here so I won't forget the main points that I really want to remember. Here's one I just found:
"For a woman to unveil her beauty, means she is offering her heart. Not primarily her works or her usefulness (think Martha in the kitchen). Offering her presence. ...
"The gift of presence is a rare and beautiful gift. To come - unguarded, undistracted - and be fully present, fully engaged with whoever we are with at that moment. Have you noticed in reading the Gospels that people enjoyed being around Jesus? They wanted to be near him - to share a meal, take a walk, have a lingering conversation. It was the gift of his presence. When you were with him, you felt he was offering you his heart. When we offer our unguarded presence, we live like Jesus. And we invite others to do the same. ...
"Beauty isn't demanding. instead, it speaks from desire ..." (pg 138, 139)
And:
"To possess true beauty, we must be willing to suffer. I don't like that. Just writing it down makes my heart shrink back. Yet, if Christ himself was perfected through his sufferings, why would I believe God would not do the same with me? Women who are stunningly beautiful are women who have had their hearts enlarged by suffering. By saying, "Yes" when the world says, "No." By paying the high price of loving truly and honestly without demanding that they be loved in return. And by refusing to numb their pain in the myriad of ways available. They have come to know that when everyone and everything has left them, God is there. They have learned, along with David, that those who go through the desolate valley will find it a place of springs." (pg. 143)
And this was something really important she wrote:
"Every woman posesses a captivating beauty. Every woman. But for most of us, it has been long buried, wounded, and captive. It takes time for it to emerge into wholeness. It needs to be cultivated, restored, set free.
"How do we cultivate beauty? How do we become ever more beautiful? By tending to our hearts with great care, as a master gardener tends to her work ...
"Contrary to what the world claims, Beauty does not diminish with time; Beauty deepens and increases."