Captivating....unveiling the mystery of a Woman's soul.

Captivating is a book written by John and Stasi Eldredge attempts to answer the question " What does it mean to be a woman?"
This is a book I would encourage every woman to read. I have included the description from the back cover (which I must confess made me curious to read the book) as well as a few excerpts that made me think!

Every woman was once a little girl. And every little girl holds in her heart her most precious dreams. She longs to be swept up into a romance, to play an irreplaceable role in a great adventure, to be the Beauty in the story. Those desires are far more than child's play. They are the secret to the feminine heart.
And yet - how many woman do you know who ever find that life? As the years pass by, the heart of a woman gets pushed aside, wounded, buried. She finds no romance except in novels, no adventure except on television, and she doubt very much that she will ever be the Beauty in any tale.
But her heart is still there. Sometimes when she watches a movie, sometimes in the wee hours of the night, her heart begins to speak again. A thirst rises within her to find the life she was meant to live - the life she dreamed of as a little girl.
The message of Captivating is this: Your heart matters more than anything else in all creation. The desire you had a a little girl and the longings you still feel as a woman - they are telling you of the life God created you to live. He offers to come now as the Hero of your story, to rescue your heart and release you to live as a fully alive and feminine woman. A woman who is truly captivating.

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I promise this is not a book that encourages women to "Follow their heart" but shares some amazing thoughts on who we, as woman, are in Christ. Thoughts such as:
Woman was created in the image of God but reflects it in a different way than man: She reflects in a way that only the feminine can speak. What can we learn from her? God wanted to reveal something about himself, so he gave us Eve. When you are with a woman, ask yourself,  what is she telling me about God?
First you will discover that God is relational to his core, that he has a heart form romance. Second, that he longs to share adventures with us - adventures you cannot accomplish without him. And finally, that God has a beauty to unveil. A beauty that is captivating and powerfully redemptive.
Most woman define themselves in terms of their relationships, and the quality they deem those relationships to have: I am a mother, a sister, a daughter, a friend. Or, I am alone. I'm not seeing anyone right now, or my children aren't calling, or my friends seem distant. This is not a weakness in woman - this is a glory. A glory that reflects the heart of God.
A question every little girl needs answered properly: Am I lovely?
This is one of my favorite statements in the book: Every woman has a beauty to unveil. Every woman. Because she bears the image of God. She doesn't have to conjure it, go get it from a salon, have plastic surgery or breast implants. No, beauty is an essence that is given to every woman at her creation.

This book has been a tremendous encouragement to me personally and I would love to hear from you! Have you already read the book? Please share your thoughts in the comments below and thank you for stopping by!