...a fascinating woman?

...a few months ago i read a book called Fascinating Womanhood, written in 1963, with some of its excerpts taken from booklets written as long ago as 1920.  the back cover of the book boast, "Fascinating Womanhood offers guidance for a new generation of women-happy, fulfilled, adored, and cherished- who want to rediscover the magic of their own feminine selves." ok, so besides the fact that i don't prefer the word "magic"--but i know what they are getting at...and all of that sounds very cheery...let's face it a lot has changed since 1963 and the days of June Cleaver (although those house dresses she wore are really coming back, i found one at a vintage store...maybe i'll go put that on and vacuum the house in it).  needless to say, i really did gain some helpful insight from this "historic" book that has continued to stay in print because at he core of it all a woman is a woman...with similar desires and challenges, but i began to ask myself amidst all that still applies, what does a lady today in 2011 need to know about leading a fascinating life, about being fulfilled, cherished, adored and feminine.

so as you can imagine...i don't have all the answers, but i have been thinking, praying, reading, and exploring what a fascinating woman may really look like, what her actions might be...what is a fascinating woman?

is she the real life bombshell that looks like she stepped off the cover of Vogue, the super achiever that is making her own way to the "top", or the self sacrificing martyr...i mean mother, that abandons her own happiness?  i may be taking a bold step here with that last statement, being that i'm not a mother yet...i know it requires sacrifice, much sacrifice...but sacrifices made in joy are way different than sacrifices made in self pity. i've seen both.

while fascinating sounds like a lofty adjective to embody i believe any woman can be fascinating. because being fascinating doesn't mean being perfect...she's a woman that is progressing. she doesn't fall into the trap of looking at the world, at life, through logic but rather looks at it through faith. she chooses faith not fear. she looks at possibilities rather than the past. she has character and high standards. she is giving and submissive, but never allows anyone to trample or abuse her. she loves people, including her husband, children and friends for the people they are, overlooking their frailties but always encouraging the better in them. she is proud to be a woman, embraces her femininity inside and out which truly has a charm that never goes out of style. most importantly in order to be fascinating for the long haul...this woman knows Jesus.  He is her Alpha and Omega...her Abba and her Shepherd...the source of all things fascinating :)

i definitely don't claim to be one...a fascinating woman that is...i am just in the pursuit of becoming one.  who wouldn't want to be...fascinating that is? well maybe the jaded woman- the woman that has chosen fear, chosen selfishness...but it's never to late to get your heart right, to believe again, to see this as a new day.   i read a quote the other day, it was from an ESPN ad that ran a few years ago, it read, "Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small people who find it easier to live in the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it.  impossible is not a fact. it's an opinion. impossible is not a declaration. it's a dare.

a fascinating woman doesn't believe in impossible...because nothing is impossible WITH God.  She understands impossible will be the opinion of some, the declaration of others...but it can't be found in her dictionary. it's just the little game of truth or dare that those "small" people would like to play with her, but she knows the truth and she sees their disbelief as the dare that drives her boldly and courageously forward.

i think we all would say we know one...a fascinating woman...or at least someone that's on their journey of becoming one...guess the only question is will you start your journey or if you are already on it...how's it going for you?  it may require feeling embarrassed, scared or even uncomfortable at times...but celebrate because that means you are embarking on the risky, yet ever so rewarding journey of being one of the Lord's fascinating woman...aka world changers and just like the ad above boasts..."it's one wonderful swirl you will live in"...lol :)

..."i am bought with a price; therefore i glorify God in my body, and in my spirit, which are God's." 1 Corinthians 6:20