Captivating; Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman's Soul

by John and Stasi Eldredge - a book review


The heart of this book is to let us, as women, know that we have "a beauty to unveil", and "an irreplaceable role" in the lives of our families.

"As Paul..writes, man 'is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man'(1 Corinthians 11:7). Not an afterthought. Not a nice addition like an ornament on a tree. She is God's final touch, his pièce de rèsistance."

Do you feel like a work of art? Holy art at that? What do you feel is your role in your marriage? Are you a servant or a life-saver? Or, are you both?

God created us, the ladies, to be the ezer kenegdo, like one who comes to save.

Can you soak up that principle in your life? I know I am trying to.

I am God's masterpiece, truly! I have an irreplaceable role, not only in my family but in my church, in my community, in my world!!! This is what God created me to be!

So, why are we as women so tired?

We are wounded, plain and simple. In the book, John relates how he felt ambivalent about joining Stasi in writing this book. He tells of how most men feel afraid to delve into his woman's world because "he won't have what it takes to help her there." This also applies to our Father's, and that is where the wound began for most of us.

Are you ready to dig deeper into what God has for you as a woman, as a wife, as a Mom? I know I am.

I recommend this book for every woman! This was my second time to read Capitivating and I will have to say that I was more blessed through it this time. The Eldredge's use scripture and modern culture references to point us to what God had in mind when He created us as women.

I pray that you have been blessed by this review.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow....

God's girl,

Pamela

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Today has been a God day...

...I'm not ready to call it a good day, though.

I'm sure we've all heard the idiom "Trouble comes in 3's." I hope that means we are through with the car trouble, and any other trouble, for a bit...a really long bit!

#1. CD and I head out Tuesday, crawl in the van, turn the key, hear the motor turning over but it would not crank. At.all.

#2. I call My Dear and ask if he has any clue about what I might do to get it going...I had things to do! He responds with a very depressing "great!" Um, not really, Dear!! Come to find out, he had a flat tire on his car and was waiting on AAA Texas to come change his tire (since he was dressed for work!)

#3. Okay, so for two days, I have taken My Dear to work so the girls can get to where they are supposed to be, when they are supposed to be there. Can I just add, I LOVE TRAFFIC??? (sarcasm indeed!) Today, we had friends coming over to spend a bit of time with us and they arrived at the house as I was leaving to pick Bunny up from school. I would come home with Bunny and we would eat, visit, then take CD to work in a bit...at least, that was MY plan! So...I go to the high school, pick Bunny up and head toward home. We were no more than 1/8 of a mile down the road when I hear the clunk-clunk of a flat tire - again, on HIS car!

I called AAA Texas and they quickly dispatched a service truck to my location. The original thought was that we could air up the tire and drive the car the 1/4 mile to Sam's Club which is where we bought the tires. Remember, it was just Tuesday that AAA changed his tire out with his spare, so I had no spare...only another flat tire in the trunk! However, we noticed a hole in the sidewall - yes, the sidewall, and realized it would never hold air even for the 1/4 mile drive.

I'm not kidding about Sam's being so close to the high school! And Wal-Mart, too.

The tow service then dispatched a tow truck, which took about 30 minutes to arrive. By this time, My Dear had borrowed a co-worker's car and had arrived just a moment earlier...I am so thankful for both Neil, his co-worker, and My Dear choosing to come to my rescue, as it was!

Jeff, the tow truck driver, was very proficient at putting the car up on his flat bed and we were at Sam's in moments. Only to learn that Sam's no longer carried our size tire! They could special order, but it would take a week, something we don't have!!! So, we then had Jeff drive to the Wal-Mart tire center, right next door to Sam's - no joke!

At Wal-Mart, we were able to buy 4 new tires. By the time they were on, it was time to head to pick My Dear up from work...so I was on the road, again!

I am not trying to complain...in fact, I have a lot to be thankful for at the end of this day!

I'm thankful for family and good friends that have shuttled my children around for the past couple of days...you know who you are and I love you so much for serving us this way!

I'm thankful for cloud cover today, that kept the Dallas area temps in the 80's - not the high 90's as was forecasted earlier in the week!

I'm thankful for the 3mph breeze that continuously blew across my face while waiting for the tow service to arrive, and the tow truck!

I'm thankful that both vehicles broke down in places that were safe and out of harm's way!

I'm thankful for the ONE Father that stopped to ask if we needed help! About 100 cars passed by (including a policeman!) and only one truly stopped to offer his service!

I'm thankful that we now know what is wrong with my van - it needs a new computer!

Again, I'm thankful for Neil allowing My Dear to use his vehicle, and my sweet man for coming to my rescue!

Truly, it has been a God day! He has been my Strong Tower and my Refuge!

I'm ready to put this day to bed and can't wait to see what God has in store for us tomorrow...I think!!!

Praise God from whom ALL blessings flow....

God's girl,

Pamela

Tears...A Guest Post

Through much prayer, I have decided today to let a friend of mine share her story with you, my dear blog reader. I hope that you will be touched! I also pray that if your story is similar, that you will please reach out...leave me a comment so we can be praying for you, find real life friends that will hold you up, both spiritually and emotionally, dig deep into the Word of God because He truly does have all the answers.

With no further ado....

The Tears of an Addict's Wife

How many times have I sat before God, crying once again because of my husband's addiction?

Since I've known about his secret life for more than half of our marriage, I would say that I have cried countless hours for me, my marriage, my children, but more often than not, for HIM!!!

Some time into this journey, the Lord revealed something precious to me, something so wonderful - MY TEARS ARE GOOD! After all, David says in Psalm 56:8 that God puts our tears in a bottle and keeps record of them in his book.
( Ps 56:8 You number my wanderings; Put my tears into Your bottle; Are they not in Your book? )

Now, I wonder if God has different bottles for me:
A bottle for tears cried in emotional overload as I married this wonderful man. The tears I have shed seeing him return home from a military mission. And the tears I cry as I snuggle deeper into his arms in the middle of the night, knowing he truly loves me.

A seperate bottle for the tears shed in sadness as I board a plane alone, leaving home for the first time. The tears that I cry when I am alone even now and miss being with my Mom and Dad, who live several hundred miles away.

A whole different bottle for tears of indignation at the sight of terrorism, both here and abroad, knowing that innocent lives have simply been taken by hate. Tears that fall when I truly consider those less fortunate than myself.

And yet another bottle just for the tears I cry for my husband and myself when his addiction is out of control. As you can see, I cry alot!

If God does keep them all in one bottle, just how big is mine?

The most wonderful thing, though, is what these tears accomplish; they cleanse my spirit as I come once again before the Lord and allow Him to smooth the hurt place in my life - truly broken and spilled out before Him. These tears give me strength to keep walking on the path God has for me. Most importantly, these tears show me and God just how much I still care for the man whose life I share.

Psalm 56:9 When I cry out to You, Then my enemies will turn back; This I know, because God is for me.

I suppose that knowing all this, it really is okay to cry for my sweet husband. And I'll do so, as long as this battle is waged, for I know in the end, my God WILL win! LV

Praise God from whom all blessings flow....

God's girl,

Pamela

Alone....Really Alone

Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. Ecclesiastes 4:9

I am a middle child, have been since I was 7. I am a wife, have been for over 21 years. I am a Mom, have been for nearly 20 years...YIKES! I love the fact that those are pieces of my life! But how would I know ANYTHING about being alone?

That's just it, though. I am very rarely, truly ALONE! I don't sympathize well with people that are alone, I have zero empathy for them. And some of the closest people in my life know what it is to be alone. When my girls were small, I would dream of what it would be like to be alone, especially when My Dear was in the field!

On the rare occasion that I am alone now, I have so many things that I can do that I struggle with knowing where to start! I usually spend the first hour just sitting, enjoying the stillness - that is if the dogs are settled! So see, even if I am alone, I still have the dogs!

However, the other day, I had a very rare glimpse into being and feeling alone!

I am in an awesome Bible study group at church, and a few of the ladies have started walking at a nearby trail. One morning, I had an opportunity to join up with one of the ladies and walk the trail with her. Now, I like to walk around my neighborhood but the most I can ever seem to go, even with the dog, is about 1 1/2 miles....not really all that far! Well that day, walking with another adult, a friend at that, we walked nearly 3 miles and it seemed to pass quickly and I wasn't even sore the next morning!

I was able to walk 3 miles because I was with a friend, and not alone! I had a really good return for my labor!!!

The next time I could walk was a few days later, and timing transpired that I was unable to meet my friends at the trail. I chose to walk around the neighborhood and push Bambina in her stroller.

And I felt so alone!

It was difficult to even go 3/4 of a mile basically by myself! Every little thing seemed to annoy me...the sun was hot, the wind was hot...and blowing my hair into my face and eyes, the uneven sidewalk was even bugging me - and it has always been uneven!

I came home that day with a new perspective...I seem to be having a lot of those, lately! It really is easier to complete a task with a friend. God made us relational...we need our family and friends because of that. However, when I felt truly alone, God was with me. He has promised, even made a covenant with me, to not leave me alone! Hebrews 13:5 For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."

If you are alone, or feel lonely, please know that God is with you. Also, please don't be afraid to let someone know...ask for prayer, invite someone over for dinner or even ask a friend to walk with you. I know that is a temporary 'fix' but maybe someone you know needs a change of perspective - trust in God that He will lead you to the right person. Get a good return for your labor!

Praise God from whom all blessings flow....

God's girl,

Pamela