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Ok, I have a confession. When it comes to movies, I\u2019ve subjected every man I\u2019ve dated to watching my favorite. Unfortunately for them, it\u2019s not an action. It\u2019s not a comedy. And some would say it\u2019s not even in English. To what movie can I be referring? Why, to the one and only \u201cPride and Prejudice\u201d by Jane Austen.<\/p>\n
In the movie, Lizzy, a very headstrong young woman, is notoriously independent and has an extremely quick wit. Her sister, Jane, even warns, \u201cOne of these days, Lizzy, someone will catch your eye and then you’ll have to watch your tongue.\u201d I love that about Lizzy. She doesn\u2019t need a man. She even turns down men and marriage proposals because she\u2019d rather be single and destitute than live unhappily with someone for the rest of her life. But if this is where the story would end, I doubt so many women across the world would claim it as their favorite as I do. Oh yes, the story goes on.<\/p>\n
The strong, \u201cdon\u2019t-need-no-man\u201d Lizzy falls in love. She falls in love with a conveniently rich and handsome gentleman by the name of Mr. Darcy. As we watch the rest of the story unfold (I won\u2019t spoil it for those who haven\u2019t seen), we also see Lizzy herself unfold. Her true heart. The heart God created in her. The heart that longed to be romanced, the adventure she yearned to join, and the beauty that she ached to unveil to one, special man. In this dramatic tale, we see many sides of Lizzy: the lover, the warrior, and beauty.<\/p>\n
[\u201cAt some core place, maybe deep within, perhaps hidden or buried in her heart, every woman wants to be seen, wanted, and pursued.\u201d]<\/p>\n
Our culture tells us to be ashamed of this desire \u2013 the desire to be romanced. But why? Romancing involves vulnerability. Much like Rapunzel, it involves waiting. Waiting is not glamorous or exciting. But we must wait on God\u2019s timing for our prince to arrive and rescue us. It\u2019s a helpless position, and certainly not one worthy of admiration. A woman of the 21st century doesn\u2019t need to be rescued. Certainly she can rescue herself. But how silly would the story have been if the prince never came? If Rapunzel attached her hair to a nearby tree and climbed down the tower on her own. That\u2019s a pretty lame story if you ask me. We need the prince and the death-defying rescue to create the adventurous story that we all know and love. Thus, our stories cannot be just about ourselves, our own power, and our own will. Our stories must include other people!<\/p>\n
[\u201cMade in the image of a perfect relationship (the Trinity), we are relational to the core of our beings and filled with a desire for transcendent purpose. We long to be an irreplaceable part of a shared adventure.\u201d]<\/p>\n
So cool! And I think it\u2019s noteworthy that this \u201cshared\u201d adventure doesn\u2019t necessarily have to be shared with a man. It simply involves people! This relates directly to our purpose for life as pointed out by Jesus in Matthew 22:37-39: \u201cYou shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.\u00a0This is the great and first commandment.\u00a0\u00a0And\u00a0a second is like it:\u00a0You shall love your neighbor as yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n
I know that God has a great adventure in store for each of us \u2013 and as women, it\u2019s our duty to seek it. Psalm 37:4 \u201cDelight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.\u201d We must seek Him to discover these desires \u2013 the desires that He\u2019s laid on our hearts from our very creation.<\/p>\n
[\u201cMany of us have hardened our hearts to this desire, the desire to be the Beauty. We, too, have been hurt so deeply in this area that we no longer identify, perhaps even resent, the longing. But it\u2019s there.\u201d]<\/p>\n
How have you been hurt? I can recall many times throughout my life when I felt more like the Beast than the Beauty. Sometimes I am consumed with these hurtful memories. Sometimes they evidence themselves when I look in the mirror or can no longer fit into my favorite pair of jeans. But the Healer and Lover of our Souls has crushed all of those hurts. He gives us strength when we have none. He restores our hearts when we rest in Him and His love. God reassures us of our TRUE BEAUTY<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n ****************<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Let\u2019s Pray<\/strong><\/p>\n Heavenly Father, we praise You for instilling in each of us these womanly desires. Lord, we know that You knew us even before we were born, before the world even knew we would exist. Father, I pray that as each woman seeks You throughout this study, that each of us would find ourselves in You. I pray that each of us would embrace the unique and special woman who You created us to be. I pray that each of us would embrace the desires You have laid on our hearts no matter what our culture says or our hurts from the past. Heal us, restore us, and renew us, Father. We surrender our hearts, our desires, and our lives to You because You alone are worthy. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.<\/p>\n Your Assignment<\/strong><\/p>\n I absolutely love that God has given each woman\u2019s heart these desires pointed out by Stasi and John. The best part, I believe, is that each desire manifests itself differently in each woman.<\/p>\n Think back on your childhood. Can you see these desires evident in a particular instance? Share your stories please!<\/p>\n . Carissa<\/p>\n
\nPraise Him!<\/p>\n
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