Captivating: A Special Hatred
When I saw the name of this chapter, I thought to myself who’s special hatred for what? And, of course it all came together. If you remember in the last couple chapters Stasi talked about how women are wounded in childhood. At the beginning of this chapter she illustrates how every woman is wounded in some way, shape, or form. It can be a wound from neglect or something that has physically, emotionally, or verbally happened but we all grow up. And, as women we tend to blame ourselves for so much more than we should. Some women think their father didn’t love them because they weren’t who he wanted them to be, or that they weren’t good enough so he was gone all the time. Some women think that abuse is their fault because of something they did to invite it. Because women begin to think it is their fault, and they begin to hide their beauty even more or disguise their true selves in order to avoid future hurt.
We don’t feel worthy of pursuit. So we hang a Do Not Disturb sign on our personalities, send a “back off” message to the world. Or we desperately seek pursuit, losing all self-respect in an emotional and physical promiscuity. We don’t feel that we are irreplaceable, so we try and make ourselves useful. We don’t believe we are beautiful, so we work hard to be outwardly beautiful or we ‘let ourselves go’ and hide behind a persona that has no allure. We try so hard, and in so many ways, to protect our hearts from further pain.”
Stasi asks a great question, “What is going on here?” It’s no secret that there is a women’s movement, and it seems that every day a politician or successful businessman is outed for wronging a woman. Girls are considered the lesser gender in other countries, In Hinduism, a woman is not even worth the value of a cow. Sexual violence toward women is seen all around the world and more than one million girls are sold into the slave trade every year. Why is this? Why does it seem that women are targeted?
For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 6:12)
This is where I really thought Stasi had a fresh perspective. The assault against women has been since the beginning. Why is it that the serpent chose to target Eve and not Adam at the tree? Why did he ask her to eat of the fruit? If you’re anything like me, you have probably been taught that he asked Eve because she seemed to be the weaker of the two and there is probably truth to that. But, I learned so much more. Satan was, as you know, an angel. In Ezekial it says that he was “full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.” He was beautiful and this was his undoing. He wanted the story to be about him, so when pride entered his heart (by his own fall), he wanted to assault beauty. Why would he want anyone to be more beautiful than him when beauty was where he found his identity? He is constantly destroying things in this world. We see this every day on the news, but he specifically hates the beauty of Eve. He wants to take revenge into his own hands, and since Adam and Eve reflect the glory of God, it is his way of taking revenge on the Lord.
The Evil One is the one who has done these things in order to prevent restoration. For that is what he fears. He fears who you are; what you are; what you might become. He fears your beauty and your life-giving heart.
But, my favorite part is seeing how we have hope in the Lord. This is how John Eldredge finishes off the chapter, and I am going to share it with you.
You are passionately loved by the God of the universe. You are passionately hated by his enemy. And so, dear heart, it is time for your restoration. For there is One greater than your Enemy. One who has sought you out from the beginning of time. He has come to heal your broken heart and restore your feminine soul. Let us turn now to him.
Aren’t we blessed and fortunate to have a God who pursues us fiercely, who heals are wounds, and restores our souls? Is he the one we seek to please?
Want to Read More From this Blog Series?
Motivation | Marriage | Mondays
Captivating: The Heart of a Woman
Captivating: What Eve Alone Can Tell
