Captivating

I just finished Captivating.
I’m smiling.
I’m vulnerable.
I’m alive inside.

It challenged me.
It humbled me.
It made me look at who I really am – or should I say – who I am becoming.
It provoked questions like:
What is my life motto?
What do others see in me?
Captivating… what does it really mean?

I’m processing this book in my mind and “seeing” so much.

I’m seeing that as a woman, I’m called to step out, to offer, to speak up…
to follow my God-given dreams.
It’s not easy – if it was, you’d see lots of women living without fear, without worry, without hiding inside themselves.

I’m seeing that I can’t just play it safe.
I can’t worry about how others may or may not react to me.
“Jesus lived a life of love and he invites us to do the same. Regardless of the response.”

I’m seeing that I can’t wait for tomorrow.
I can’t wait for a better opportunity to present itself.
I have to trust and follow His lead.
I have to BE HERE NOW!

I’m seeing that I need to be real. I need to be present.
“You have only one life to live. It would be best to live your own.”

There are times where I wish for things I don’t have.
There are times when I want my life to be a certain way and it’s not – far from it.
There are times when I just go through the day without really living… living with trust & without worry… living with compassion instead of judgment… living with a understanding that I’m where I need to be – in the present – where God has put me.
Why is it so hard to “live” some days?

I know I’m rambling. I know that this makes sense to me, but maybe not to you.
I was challenged by this book to really look at myself as Captivating…
to look at myself the way God does…
to want to live in such a way that no matter who I’m with or what I say… God is evident.
to be a wife, mother, friend, daughter… a woman who pays attention to the little things, a woman who is honest, a woman who listens, a woman who offers her heart – not caring about what I get in return…
to be a woman that learns from her mistakes…
to be a woman who is seeking God in everything.

I know that I was made for “relationships.”
I know that I was supposed to read this book. (thanks Becky)
I know that I was supposed to share my thoughts with whoever reads this.

I know I have a choice to make every day…
a choice to be Captivating!