Truly Captivating

A couple nights ago I couldn't sleep, so I stayed up finishing the book Captivating (by John and Stasi Eldredge). I mentioned this book in my last post, and I've got to say that it has been an eye opener. It spoke so much of what I couldn't clearly identify when I was feeling the way I did...as a growing woman!

Here are two passages that really stuck out to me...and this was only from the first chapter:
We desire to possess a beauty that is worth pursuing, worth fighting for, a beauty that is core to who we truly are. We want beauty that can be seen; beauty that can be felt; beauty that affects others; a beauty all our own to unveil. [pg. 17] 
A woman in the presence of a good man, a real man, loves being a woman. His strength allows her feminine heart to flourish. His pursuit draws out her beauty. And a man in the presence of a real woman loves being a man. Her beauty arouses him to play the man, it draws out his strength. She inspires him to be a hero. [pg. 18]
The first passage talks about how we as women desire a beauty that is all our own to unveil. That beauty is one that desires to be captivating; "worth pursing" and "worth fighting for." And the second passage relates how men and women are so complimentary to one another. Each draws the other's strength & the essence of who they were created to be.

Another thing that was really enlightening was how God is the greatest Romancer.
God's version of flowers and chocolates and candlelight dinners comes in the form of sunsets and falling stars, moonlight on lakes and cricket symphonies; warm wind, swaying trees, lush gardens, and fierce devotion. [pg. 116]
God wants to live this life together with you, to share in your days and decisions, your desires and disappointments. He wants intimacy with you in the midst of the madness and mundane, the meetings and memos, the laundry and lists, the carpools and conversations and projects and pain. He wants to pour his love into your heart and he longs to have you pour yours into his. He wants your deep heart, that center place within that is truest you. [pg. 121] 
I read these passages and I let out a deep sigh (like, a good sigh). I am just in awe of God's great love for me. I mean, really God? Really? I haven't really known what it meant to be romanced until now. God cares so much for me (and you) that He would even sacrifice Someone so precious to Him in order that our relationship with Him could be restored--that Someone is Jesus. And if you have never heard about that Amazing Love story, then you're in for a real treat! I'd be happy to tell you all about it!

Genesis 1:1 states that, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." God existed before time and space ever came into being. God didn't have to create the world & everything in it, but He was so full of love that all of creation was just a result of that overflowing Love. In that beginning, He created man and woman; Adam & Eve. He created them with a will to choose--a will to choose to love or not love God. So when God told them that they could eat from any tree in that pristine garden, known as Eden, except from the tree of good & evil...guess what they chose! They chose to eat from the very thing God told them not to. As a consequence of that sin, they were banished from the garden of Eden and the world became corrupt. The amazing thing was that God did not just leave them there to rot and die. He had already came up of a plan to save humanity from eternal separation from Him; a Savior. That plan set into motion as soon as man & woman lived, breathed, and populated the world. This whole amazing love story can be seen throughout the Bible. In the Old Testament, God had chosen a man whom a great nation was going to come from. From that same man's lineage, God was going to send the Messiah (Redeemer, Savior, Deliverer, Liberator for all mankind). In the Old Testament, God had this great nation follow a great set of rules. These rules were a way to show how holy God is, since a savior has not come yet to restore the relationship between Man and God. In the Old Testament, there were many prophesies of the coming Messiah so that the people would be able to recognize him. Then in the New Testament, Jesus came and fulfilled the prophesies in the Old Testament. He performed miracles & signs, died on a cross, and rose again on the third day. Through the death, burial, & resurrection of Jesus, fellowship (or friendship) with God was restored. Jesus fulfilled the Law. Man was no longer subjected to written rules of ancient days. God's love continues to pour out today, in modern times, and will continue to overflow. Revelations, the last book of the Bible, speaks of the future--a new earth where all of God's people are gathered in great fellowship & worship of our most Awesome God!!

Now, as I have mentioned before, people have a will to choose. Not everyone will be together forever with God in heaven. Those people are not necessarily evil or bad people. They are simply people who just don't love God. They don't believe that Jesus is the Son of God; that He came, died, and rose again on the third day in order to rescue them from Hell. And Hell was never created for man, but for Satan & his demons. Hell is simply a place for people who don't want to follow God; it's a place where they are eternally separated from Him.

I know this is a lot to take in and may seem a little confusing. So if you are reading this and have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask!

Until then...

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