Passionate Pursuit

This week's quote is:

"Why do our days seem so unimportant, filled not with romance and adventure but with duties and demands? We feel unseen, even by those who are closest to us. We feel unsought--that no one has the passion or the courage to pursue us, to get past our messiness to find the woman deep inside. And we feel uncertain--uncertain what it even means to be a woman; uncertain what it truly means to be feminine; uncertain if we are or will ever be.......And in all the exhortations we have missed the most important thing of all. We have missed the heart of a woman."



Quote taken from: "Captivating" by John and Stasi Eldredge

***

My mother told me I would get out of life what I put in it.I was 12 at the time and stood there complaining about some "boring" meeting I had to attend.

Looking back, I believe it was the single most important thing I ever learned from her. When I went to my meeting, I chose to actually listen to what was being said and found it to be interesting, informative and ENJOYABLE!

As I read today's quote, I found myself reminiscing about how my mother's advice affected my life. You see, those days that seem unimportant; when I feel most invisible with nothing to look forward to but duties and demands - those are the days when I have failed to put my whole self into the day. They are the days when I have lost that sense of passion, my joy of living and relationship with my Creator, my sense of who I am in Him.

I am a complex creation with so many wants and needs. I need to feel whole, competent and needed by others. But when I mistake being needed with being loved - that's when I get into trouble every time. I choose to make myself indispensable so I can feel needed and end up burning out.

When I feel burned out, I feel empty, unloved and unlovable. But rather than letting Christ fill me with His love, I tend to try even harder, spinning faster and faster on my hamster wheel. I feel disgruntled and sorry for myself, sinking deeper into depression and aloneness.

Who would ever want to pursue or passionately love me like that? I feel frumpy and totally unfeminine. Somehow I have failed to see the real needs of that woman deep inside. I have missed my "woman's heart."

The truth is that every day I am being passionately pursued by a Living God who loved me enough to send His son to die for me. But if I wall up my heart with the bricks and mortar of self pity or lack of self esteem, I will miss Him. I will miss my chance at happiness because I have failed to look at the deepest needs of my heart. Only He can make me feel truly fulfilled and happy- but I have to choose to let Him!

***

This week, Christin is hosting "In 'Other' Words" at her site, As Gold Refined. She has chosen a quote from the book, Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge.

If you would like to join us today, simply blog about the quote on your site, then visit Christin and leave your blog URL so we can all read your thoughts on the quote. Be sure to check out as many of the participating bloggers as you can and leave them a comment too!

I can't wait to see what everyone writes for this week's In "other" Words...