I would like to preface this blog with a few thoughts… The following words are from a woman who has been transformed by Spirit of God who now leads her, who has witnessed things that only can be explained by the work of God’s hand, and who cringes every now and then at the thought of the woman she WAS, but rejoices in the testimony of how much grace, love and redemption God can pour out in her life. With this said, none of this blog comes with the slightest judgment or condemnation, but from a place of love and deep passion to see women realize who God has created them to be. Here are some thoughts for you….
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This morning I remembered a friend of mine from years past. I remember the day she got engaged to her husband….she was so excited; she felt as though she had finally arrived! I asked when the wedding was going to be, and she said that is wasn’t going to be for over a year and a half. Puzzled at the long engagement, I asked “Why?” And she replied, “Well, I need to time to get in shape to fit in my wedding dress!” Over the next year I stood by watching her flip through countless dress magazines, anxious catering calls, and days of killing herself at the gym. Proud of her ambition, but slightly perplexed I wondered…..Why is she putting off her wedding for 1.5 yrs to get in shape when she has been dating her husband for 7 years?? I soon found out that her motivation was based on looking good in the wedding photos for years to come.
Who was she striving for? Making the love of her life wait, as if her looks were any secret to him? I know every little girl dreams of their wedding day and pray that it is magical, but I wonder what would happen in marriages and relationships if we worked this hard getting intimate with God. What if we cleaned out our closets, put on a dress of clean white silk, washed off our scars, brushed the dirt and shame from our faces, gave all our finances & time to run down the isle to meet Him; the one who created us and loves us more than any human could. Women!- God is waiting for you! He his more excited than your husband was the day he married you, He desires to know you in the most intimate way. Really!? Betrothed to the creator of the world? I know this is quite the stretch for a few minds reading this, but try to stay with me here…
As women we spend so much of time trying to look sexy and appealing to men; to feel wanted, desired, and justified. To feel like queens of control, masters of planning; put together in all we do. To whom does our image matter? Where does our identity truly rest? As we all know from America’s Top Model, Victoria Secret Christmas Angel special, and Justin Timberlake’s single “I’m bringing sexy back”- that America defines sexy as the following….
sex·y
/ˈsɛk
si/ 
Show Spelled
“adjective, sex·i·er, sex·i·est.
2.sexually interesting or exciting; radiating sexuality:
WHAT MAKES YOU SEXY? Is it the clothes you wear, the attitude you portray, the shape of your body, or the title you have obtained at work that you use to glorify yourself?
naturally. You are beautiful in the ways God uses you and is glorified through you. I am not saying that Godly women can’t love a great pair of skinny jeans, heels, and pearls…..I myself love to work out, be athletic, and look like a lady! But let me be clear, a woman of God does not fit an uptight cookie cutter mold, but our beauty is the expression of what God has done with our character on the inside. This can still be bold, edgy, exciting, colorful, and fun! Think about it….What do you look like? on the inside… 1 Samuel 16:7
7 But the LORD
said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I
have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at.
Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
What would we look like if we spent the next 1.5 years preparing to “look good for our wedding” with Christ? What if you allowed yourself to learn about him, to break down the walls you have built up in your heart, stop feeling uncomfortable when you hear the name Jesus because it might stir things up a bit. When we push past the ways humans & Christians have misrepresented who Christ REALLY is…. 
and pray and read about his truths-we can find a place of intimacy with God that truly feels more exciting than a wedding- an eternal promise after we are gone from this world, but even more than that- a life that actually feels ALIVE rather than one we are merely living. If you are still with me, I challenge you to read passage below from Hosea 2:6-20….
For any of you who feel lost, frustrated, or are seeking to put your identity in things of this world…this passage spoke to my heart when I was putting my security in money and men. Running from God, and being satisfied by temporary fixes of this world. I pray that for those of you who understand this temptation or are struggling with this as well…. that when He “blocks your path with thornbushes” and you feel the trails and disappointments of this world, that you become thirsty for God when you are in the midst of the desert with him. Whether you acknowledge Him or not, he still delights over you and is waiting for you to run down the isle to him in your white dress.
Hosea 2:6-20
Israel Punished and Restored
6 Therefore I will block her path with thornbushes;
I will wall her in so that she cannot find her way.
7 She will chase after her lovers but not catch them;
she will look for them but not find them.
Then she will say,
‘I will go back to my husband as at first,
for then I was better off than now.’
8 She has not acknowledged that I was the one
who gave her the grain, the new wine and oil,
who lavished on her the silver and gold”
which they used for Baal.
9 “Therefore I will take away my grain when it ripens,
and my new wine when it is ready.
I will take back my wool and my linen,
intended to cover her nakedness.
10 So now I will expose her lewdness
before the eyes of her lovers;
no one will take her out of my hands.
11 I will stop all her celebrations:
her yearly festivals, her New Moons,
her Sabbath days”all her appointed feasts.
12 I will ruin her vines and her fig trees,
which she said were her pay from her lovers;
I will make them a thicket,
and wild animals will devour them.
13 I will punish her for the days
she burned incense to the Baals;
she decked herself with rings and jewelry,
and went after her lovers,
but me she forgot,”
declares the LORD.
14 “Therefore I am now going to allure her;
I will lead her into the desert
and speak tenderly to her.
15 There I will give her back her vineyards,
and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope.
There she will sing as in the days of her youth,
as in the day she came up out of Egypt.
16 “In that day,” declares the LORD,
“you will call me ‘my husband’;
you will no longer call me ‘my master.
17 I will remove the names of the Baals from her lips;
no longer will their names be invoked.
18 In that day I will make a covenant for them
with the beasts of the field and the birds of the air
and the creatures that move along the ground.
Bow and sword and battle
I will abolish from the land,
so that all may lie down in safety.
19 I will betroth you to me forever;
I will betroth you in righteousness and justice,
in love and compassion.
20 I will betroth you in faithfulness,
and you will acknowledge the LORD.
