Reflections on Captivating #5

     We have reached the end of our Captivating series. I have to say, I am still perplexed by the number of blessings God has bestowed upon me since I started this book. My ability to understand and put into action the message of Captivating increases on a daily basis and I'm constantly being flooded with a deeper longing to become the woman God wills me to be.
     The most important message I got out of this book was the need to love. That sounds very cliche. But, through reading this text, I was able to break free from my preconceived warm and fuzzy notions of love. Captivating forced me to dig deep into my heart and soul and understand the true meaning of a self giving, vulnerable, and completely unguarded love... the love that we are created for. 
     In the past few reflections, I wrote about the fact that we as women constantly have our femininity assaulted. In an effort to participate in this genuine love, we allow ourselves to be very vulnerable. Unfortunately, this opens us up to attack. As a result, we vow to never embrace our vulnerability again. However, this means we also restrain ourselves from participating in genuine love. We cannot keep letting fear get in the way! God tells us that although we will suffer heartbreak from time to time, He will always be there to renew us. But, we have a duty to continue participating in authentic love, no matter how great the risk. 
     I personally have made a vow to live every day in accordance with God's vision of feminine love. My prayer every morning (on my walk to class) simply states, 

"Lord, help me exemplify femininity today. Give me the grace to love without hesitation and to invite others to do the same." 

     I must admit that when I first finished this book, I was not completely healed. I'm still not. There are still days where earthly lies creep in, and I doubt my worth. This does not mean I'm allowed to "stay in hiding". Jesus invites us to live as an inviting woman who possesses genuine love now, and to "find our healing along the way" (Eldredge 140). I promise you with every fiber of my being that this is worthwhile. As soon as I made a commitment to live each day as a woman of God, my healing process accelerated rapidly. 
     If I could leave you all with one thing I learned from this book, it is that God made us as women for a reason. There are no mistakes in our character. We are meant to be protective, emotional, naive, vulnerable, beautiful, and impulsive. Embrace all these qualities! Never allow rejection to make you feel as if any of these characteristics is a flaw. Live each day in such a way that "shows off" these traits; live each day in genuine love. 

"A woman of true beauty is a woman who in the depths of her soul is at rest, trusting God because she has come to know Him to be worthy of her trust."

[Captivating pg. 137]