Sunday, February 14, 2010

it is a day for lovely things.






"Love is promise, love is a souvenir, once given, never forgotten, never let it disappear."- John Lennon

It is a day for lovely things.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

a life giving nature of loveliness.

Last night I had the most lovely conversation with my growth group. For those of you who aren't members of the Grace College cult, growth groups are a dorm Bible study where around ten girls (or guys if you are a guy) get together to go to talk about deep things and lament the amount of homework you still have to do and I happen to lead one. Partly because I am a terrible planner and partly because God is good at leading this terrible planner, we talked last night about a passage I read out of John and Stasi Eldredge's book Captivating: Unveiling a Woman's Soul. It is a terribly good book and I shared a portion where Stasi talks about the question that all women have in common: Am I lovely?
Women are created to reveal the merciful, loving, captivating side of a God that without us would only be seen as warrior and judge. But our souls long to be fought for, to be told that we are lovely in a deep way that no heart, except the heart of God, can be enough for us.
In all of our brokenness and scars, I saw lovely women last night. As they described movie heroines and what makes a beautiful woman words like "alluring, mysterious, draws you in, exceptional, gentle spirit, and smiling" were thrown around. By the end of the evening every girl was glowing. I do not think it mattered that we were in our pajamas with slightly greasy hair and tired eyes, there was a radiant beauty as broken places were brought to God and vulnerability crept back into very guarded hearts.
I give you the same challenge I gave my girls and myself. Spend a week thinking of the most beautiful experience you have had. It could be a time where you were able to bask in the beauty of someone, or of something. Bring that to the front of your mind, daydream about how that makes you feel and what makes it beautiful. After a week is over, share it with someone and watch the life giving nature of beauty unfold.