Gymnastics of the Heart

Years ago I was struck by a line in a poem by Ruth Bell Graham: "God, let
me be all he ever dreamed of loveliness and laughter." What would happen if this
wish came true? How many of us know that the men we love, the friends we have,
think of belly laughs and compelling conversation when they think of us? Are we
thought of with delight and as someone to be taken seriously?

At our best, we've all had a glimpse of it. We all know how exhilarating it
is to walk away from an interaction with others and know they are lingering in
it because of us. They are smiling. They are thinking. They have been aroused by
our presence. These moments are a foretaste of who we are meant to be. But we
know there is so much more of us that somehow doesn't make it to our carpools
and business meetings and even our lunches with friends.
So often our loveliness and laughter are shrouded by a
blanket.

A woman who "is clothed with strength and dignity" and who "laughs with no
fear of the future" (Proverbs 31:25) is one who, in the alleyways, sees her
foolish choice to hover. She realizes her hovering reveals her lack of
trust that God will remember her or care about her situation.
She admits the Fall actually happened in her own heart. She doesn't try to
pretend her heart is full of trust. Instead, she takes her fear, her doubt, and
her questions to the God of the universe. She allows herself to respond
to God's pursuit.

He finds her there, redeems her there, loves her there- so she can look to
the future with confident expectation.

Excerpt from The Allure of Hope by Jan Meyers (p40-41)