True femininity is worth pursuing

yesdarlingido:

The life of a woman who possesses true femininity is italicized by true beauty. This beauty is fixed on what is eternal, authentic, & pure. True femininity is committed to displaying this rare version of beauty in every aspect of her life because it calls attention to Christ instead of her.
True femininity deals with insecurity by making much of Christ, whose identity she bears. She trusts that he defines her rather than requiring the fickle affirmation of others, who can only offer futile words & fleeting pity.
True femininity is uninterested in the world’s approval; deaf to their commentary. Her eyes are fixed & her ears are attuned heavenward—interested solely in the guidance & approval of Jesus.
True femininity is approachable rather than intimidating. Her confidence is laced with humility because it is founded upon Christ and not her own efforts; therefore, she extends herself to others & lives in a manner that invites you to know her.  
True femininity uses the power of her tongue to comfort, encourage, and inspire others with truth. She speaks with integrity, seeking to build others up even in their absence.
True femininity inspires true masculinity when a man pursues her by choosing to preserve his integrity instead of enticing him into lust or compromise.
True femininity is evident in her placid calmness—the chaos of the world and her personal life do not threaten the peace she has received through God.   
True femininity develops through a dedicated pursuit of the Lord’s heart. As she discovers more of his heart, her life begins to resemble it. 

No one accidentally embodies this—it is a choice, & this description of femininity is worth pursuing because it’s contagious. It’s not about trying harder. It’s about valuing what Christ has already called us to as women after his own heart. Once we’re satisfied in him, our role as the bride of Christ is evident in the way we hold ourselves & treat others. When your life is punctuated by the love & freedom of Christ, others prosper—for you will be living in true joy that others will be unable to ignore.  

(the personal convictions of Lauren Britt)

hopes and dreams.

I was inspired by my lovely pastor’s wife to actually write down dreams for my life that have been swirling around in my head. I do dream, but to be quite honest, I’m scared to have big, lofty dreams. This is mostly because I have a fear of failure (which I am being forced to confront) and looking stupid and I tend to doubt I could ever do such crazy things. And on my own, I can’t. But the Lord has provided all my needs. Positionally, I am set because of His finished work on the cross. I don’t have to try and earn my way to Him, and I am free to dream and take risks and seek His will. Praise the Lord. So, that’s my preface to this list, to let whoever might stumble upon this know that I am a weak and imperfect woman, but I have been set free and given desires and hopes and gifts that the Lord wants me to use to glorify Him alone.

My crazy list, in no particular order:

• Be more financially responsible, as in, actually create and follow a budget.
• Fall in love with a Jesus-loving man and marry him.
• Raise Jesus-loving children.
• Be a missional family who lets people into our craziness and shows Jesus to them. 
• Make my home (both while I’m single and when I get married) a safe place for people to come if they need healing, love, a shoulder to cry on, or an ear to listen.
• Learn Italian.
• Live in Italy (length of time isn’t important to me at the moment) and share my faith and my life with Italians, as well as reunite with friends there.
• Learn how to play piano.
• Write out my testimony.
• Have an Etsy store filled with lots of pretty DIYed treasures to sell.
• Own a pug.
• Learn how to make macarons.
• Have a garden full of seasonal fruits and veggies to feed my family.
• Live on a farm or in a secluded woodsy place in the mountains.
• Run a 5k. (Currently training!)
• Use my teaching skill set to teach my children how to read and love reading.
• Read the entire bible. (I’m at 83%, says my Bible app, and it has been a long time coming!)
• Have a flower garden.
• Live in a place where I can actually see the seasons change. (This does not happen in Florida.)
• Ride in a hot air balloon.
• Build a treehouse with my husband for my kids.
• Have a transracial family by adopting children.
• Be a stay-at-home mom/homemaker.
• Be a church-planter.
• Travel throughout Europe.

I would love to hear some of your dreams as well!