The Heart of a Woman

A.K.A- Captivating, Chapter One.

The name of this book alone makes me want more, or want to be that.
cap·ti·vate  (kpt-vt)

tr.v. cap·ti·vat·ed, cap·ti·vat·ing, cap·ti·vates

1. To attract and hold by charm, beauty, or excellence. See Synonyms at charm.

2. Archaic To capture.

[reference from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/captivating]

What kind of woman would NOT want to be described as captivating? Not many, I would assume. This first chapter delves into how the God of the universe uniquely created the feminine heart. But first, it does a little back-tracking. The author(s) talk a lot about how we, as women, are confused by society and culture about what it means to actually be a woman. This is not something I particularly related to, but I can see how our culture plays a part in meddling with how women feel comfortable being women. 

Sure, being strong and independent is great. But that's not all our hearts were made for. Even the examples given in the bible, the greatest example being the infamous Proverbs 31 woman, we feel like we're given impossible standards to live up to. We feel like failures.

Now that is something I can relate to. Actually, the day when I went back to read this chapter I was feeling particularly failure-esque. Comparing myself to others and struggling with my own weaknesses, I felt like a failure as a Christian, a failure as a missionary, and a failure as a wife. That I am just not good enough to be all of the things I need to be, while at the same time the messy sinner that I am is too much for my husband, for God, etc. Not enough and too much at the same time.

What I was reminded of in that moment while reading was that God created my heart. The Almighty, all-powerful God of the universe created my little messy heart. And that my heart is a reflection of God's own heart (obviously not the sin that creeps in there from time to time, duh) And they [the authors] suspect that every woman, if she's really honest with herself, has the same three core desires as a result of how God uniquely created the woman's heart: to be romanced, to play an irreplaceable role in a great adventure, and to unveil beauty.

To be continued in a my next post.