The following devotion was in my inbox this morning and although I have read John and Staci Eldredge’s books many times, recommended them, and taught them, this isolated excerpt had a focused impact upon me this morning. I immediately thought of my 7 children and 2 step-daughters and shared it with them . . . and then I thought of you – all of you American Christian Parents struggling in this chaotic world to raise sons and daughters with a true knowledge of how God made them, so that they can live from those hearts instead of the hearts trampled and misshapen by the world and the enemy.
One of the enemy’s favorite schemes is to try to hide from us who we are and the truth that we are truly ‘fearfully and wonderfully made’ in God’s image and for His glory . . . and that we have an adventure to live!
May God add His blessing to your every effort to raise up sons and daughters knowing who they are in Christ, and living according to the true hearts Jesus gave them.
| The Feminine Heart | |
| There are three desires that I have found essential to a woman’s heart, which are not entirely different from a man’s and yet they remain distinctly feminine. Not every woman wants a battle to fight, but every woman yearns to be fought for. Listen to the longing of a woman’s heart: She wants to be more than noticed—she wants to be wanted. She wants to be pursued.Every woman also wants an adventure to share. “I want to be Isabo in Ladyhawk,” confessed a female friend. “To be cherished, pursued, fought for—yes. But also, I want to be strong and a part of the adventure.” So many men make the mistake of thinking that the woman is the adventure. But that is where the relationship immediately goes downhill. A woman doesn’t want to be the adventure; she wants to be caught up into something greater than herself.
And finally, every woman wants to have a beauty to unveil. Not to conjure, but to unveil. Most women feel the pressure to be beautiful from very young, but that is not what I speak of. There is also a deep desire to simply and truly be the beauty, and be delighted in. The world kills a woman’s heart when it tells her to be tough, efficient, and independent. Sadly, Christianity has missed her heart as well. Walk into most churches in America, have a look around, and ask yourself this question: What is a Christian woman? Again, don’t listen to what is said, look at what you find there. There is no doubt about it. You’d have to admit a Christian woman is . . . tired. All we’ve offered the feminine soul is pressure to “be a good servant.” No one is fighting for her heart; there is no grand adventure to be swept up in; and every woman doubts very much that she has any beauty to unveil. (Wild at Heart , 16–17) An excerpt from Wild at Heart I highly recommend the books ‘Wild at Heart’ by John Eldredge, and ‘Captivating’ by John and Staci Eldredge |
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July 30, 2013
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