As promised in my review, I am going to be diving in a little deeper into the newly revised Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman’s Soul
Up until reading this book, whenever I thought about Eve the image of her eating the fruit came to mind. I never thought about the “before-the-apple” part of Eve’s life. John and Stasi Eldredge pointed out a few things:
–In one last flourish creation comes to a finish with Eve. She is the Master’s finishing touch.
–Eve is created because things were not right without her.
Eve (woman) was not an afterthought. Women are not the leftovers from God’s glorious creation. We are designed especially to beautify.
In my experience as a stay-at-home wife and mother, I can easily lose site of my purpose. Somewhere between the 937th load of laundry and 436th dirty diaper, I don’t really feel beautiful. But read this excerpt from the book:
You are a woman. An image bearer of God. The Crown of Creation. You were chosen before time and space, and you are wholly and dearly loves. You are sought after, pursued, romanced, the passionate desire of your Fiance, Jesus. You are dangerous in your beauty and your life-giving power. And you are needed.
As a woman who has been ransomed and redeemed, you can be strong and tender. You speak to the world of God’s mercy, mystery, beauty, and his desire for intimate relationship. You are inviting; you can risk being vulnerable, offering the weight of your life as well as your need for more because you are safe in God’s love. You labor with God to bring forth life – in creativity, in work, in others. Your aching, awakened heart leads you to the feet of Jesus, where you wait on Him and wait for Him. The eyes of His heart are ever upon you. The King is captivated by your beauty.
No more needs to be said…
That is wonderful. I am finishing up Wild at Heart and can't wait to start this one. Sounds like exactly what I need these days.
"Eve is created because things were not right without her"- I'd love to quote you on that. That is so encouraging and uplifting.
Marcia – I would love for you to link to this post but those are thoughts of John and Staci Eldridge, not me. I want to make sure that they get credit for them.
You should read the book our pastor gave all the women in our church for Mother's Day. It is titled "Twelve Extraordinary Women" by John Macarthur. Macarthur's description of Eve mentions, "She was the necessary partner who finally made his (Adam's) existence
complete–and whose own existence finally signaled the completion of all creation."