It is like God has lavished upon man something so wonderful we need a lifetime to learn her . . . grow in our understanding towards her . . . and often times, find how wrong we were in our many assumptions about her
What more is there to say when we have been captivated by Eve's daughters?
Is it possible to even fight it, truly?
I don't think we will ever be able to fully understand exactly what it is about a woman that reaches deep into places of our masculine hearts that we didn't even know existed until they were so gently tugged by the femanine touch.
It comes in moments to be sure, sometimes when we least expect it.
"How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh you are beautiful!"
-verse 1
But what is that thing in us that seems to light up when we set our eyes on . . . you fill in that blank!
If there isn't anyone currently in your life that could be designated for that place, every man at some point has been moved by the enamoring beauty of a woman.
Even as boys we begin to fight the urges of attraction as little crushes start to form. Is it her uniqueness and to us, strange way of seeing the world?
Is it the way she sees you differently than anyone else around you of the male species?
She challenges you because she sees the potentially best part of you. We, all of a sudden, feel some kind of strength come from some where inside of us that was there all along that only a woman could unlock.
It reminds me when I was rock climbing one night with my buddy and I was working on a pretty difficult route where you needed to "dyno" for the next move. That term is slang for a "dynamic move" necessary to continue climbing the route and basically means you have to leap for the next hold or rock. It is one of those things you can't over-think or you'll eventually lose the courage to do it.
All that to say, I began to have an audience as I climbed the route. As other climbers began to gather to watch me, I of course noticed a couple of girls within the group.
I am almost embarrassed to admit but know I am in good company right now with you, the reader . . . it got to my head, and quite possibly my ego at that!
I didn't even hesitate. I leapt and made the "dyno" with so much grace and strength and confidence everyone started shouting as they were probably impressed, at least to some degree. My buddy was even telling me how cool it looked to watch what I did.
I even remember being a little shocked at how easy making that move was. Although I was a bit surprised at myself (only a bit), I didn't think any more of it because I knew exactly what forces were at work there.
These are the kind of forces that are literally out of your control, yet you can join in with them and let them give you some kind of unlocked ability you become surprised you had in the first place!
What's crazy is I didn't know those girls . . . and in fact, I may never have seen them again since. I honestly didn't even know what they looked like in detail because I had just gotten a blurred view from my peripheral.
All I know is they were female and somewhat in shape because they were rock climbers.
This was years ago, but it feels like yesterday.
We can't hold on to beautiful things, for they were not meant to be captured, but we can sure enjoy the benefits and lavishing pleasures found in the daughters of Eve.
I love to have the attention of a woman . . . to have her listen to what is going on in my life . . . what I am going through and what battles I am facing with the Lord.
There is something about just talking with her, letting her into our lives and in-turn, our hearts that give us life as men.
It is probably something we take for granted, but let us be reminded of what treasure we have when God brings a woman into our life.
Before we continue, take a second to allow all the "her" and "she" words I use and personalize it for you. What daughter of Eve has God brought into your life?
Whether it is your spouse or girlfriend or friend, He is a good father who knows how much we need a female's touch in our hearts and in our lives.
Beauty has many many forms, but none compare to that of all she beholds for us.
"My darling, everything about you is beautiful, and there is nothing at all wrong with you . . ."
-verse 7
It is like God has lavished upon man something so wonderful we need a lifetime to learn her . . . grow in our understanding towards her . . . and often times, find how wrong we were in our many assumptions about her.
Her beauty has so many complexities that it only comes with time as to see her different facets that make up underneath what we don't see as we look on the surface.
Her beauty may not ask for much, but what she offers, we can barely handle let alone know what to do with it, at least on our own.
Men have written countless upon countless songs going into detail in their many explorations of a woman. What she offers can be compared to nothing except what she reflects from the heart of her Creator. Even then, she carries with her a mysterious yet captivating allure we have never been able to dodge.
"You are like a garden fountain- a well of fresh water flowing down from the mountains of Lebanon."
-verse 15
She changes the terrain of our hearts. To know what to do with such a Beauty I would need to spend a lifetime sinking into her sea and drinking in all that God would reveal to me through her wondrous perplexities.
In a constant battle, she offers peace in her compassion.
In a marathon of enduring the pain life entails, she offers rest in her naturally understanding posture.
Her beauty can be the oxygen to the masculine soul.
She was given to man . . . as a gift. Let us not forget that. Let us not forsake that.
"Your love is so sweet, my sister, my bride. Your love is better than wine."
-verse 10
Look at how she loves. Each of us can learn from her how to love the way she does. There is something to be said of the unconditional way she loves, holding nothing back in her affections as she offers herself in vulnerability.
There is much we can learn form the daughters of Eve.
She embarks the very thoughtfulness God does in how He takes care of us in detail. I have often thought of how different my parents are and how they love differently. There is something more sweet and soothing in how my Mom has loved me through the good and bad. The same could be said for a spouse or a special woman in your life.
I often wonder why God made it so, almost that we would be surely lacking without her.
I have heard many men say that they don't need a woman but desire her. To me that's foolishness to say. That's like saying we don't need to witness and be among beautiful things but we desire them like we do a vacation.
It is hard to hear that after what I have seen in terms of beauty in the life I have lived so far.
I have been before great mountains and mighty oceans swelling around me.
I have seen beauty in the smallest of creatures and the magnificence in the largest.
Yet, I still cannot compare them to her. It is simply incomparable. We see a whole new side of our Creator we never knew apart from a woman until our paths meet.
We learn more of who He is and who we are to Him in her.
We see our Father's heart in His creation when we set our eyes upon her.
There is strength in her to be sure, but it is a strength that is often times foreign to us. We see it in how she forgives and how she looks past our faults beyond into our hearts. She looks through to the man we are and the man we could be. That brings us a kind of encouragement that only she can unlock inside of us.
I can't help but think about a particular night I had recently with a young woman. We are friends right now still getting to know each other, yet, after getting home that night, something was aching inside of me.
I wanted so much more.
In my heart, there was something meant to be captured by her beauty.
I went for a walk after I got home that night to spend some time with God, desperate to process all the strange emotions of enjoying the time spent with her yet the ache of wanting more.
We were with friends of ours so we didn't get to talk one-on-one much but I wished somehow we had more time to talk about our lives and dreams and ideas of what God may be up to in our lives . . . just time to enjoy with her.
I remember praying before that evening and telling God, "Okay, so if you want me to let the idea go of there being any more between her and me than just friendship, let me not be very attracted to her tonight!"
She was particularly beautiful that night, the way her hair would fall around her face, slightly wavy and bouncing with her vibrant personality. It was cut short so it had the "cute thing" going in which I absolutely love!
Her eyes seemed to shine brighter than her face, full of excitement and youthfulness, brown as can be.
She laughed a lot and I enjoyed just watching her laugh . . . and making her laugh!
What a wonderful evening with friends and getting to spend time with her, a much needed female presence in my life.
There's not much more to say, honestly.
We all know of what I speak of.
We all have been riveted and stopped clean in our tracks by something we know little about, yet feel so powerfully within us . . . that being the effects of a woman.
Her beauty topples us over like nothing we could hope to resist or fight.
We are left with the very mechanics of the purest form aesthetics can offer us on this side of heaven.
We are stuck in its cause and effect.
I have been able to watch many of my close friends with their significant others . . . spouses, fiancés, girlfriends . . . and one thing I have found time and time again.
They are all helpless in how their lovely Beauty has captivated them. It's sometimes funny to witness from the outside looking in because I know that has been me too in my own experiences, although I am not yet married.
I too have been taken back helplessly by Eve, time and again. There is something to be said in how she effects me . . . how she effects us.
Beauty ignites parts of our hearts that almost seem to lay dormant until awoken by only her.
We would call this particular awakening a form of romance.
Romance has many forms, but its most finely tuned of this topic is the mosaic we find of how it leaves us storming the keep to find her.
Things like buying flowers and chocolate, planning thoughtful dates to sweep her off of her feet . . . trying to make her laugh one more time because we simply can't get enough of her smile and seeing her happy.
This, my dear fellows, is the terrain change I spoke of earlier in our hearts.
We are simply never the same again.
The only thing we must be careful about is forgetting that once awoken place in our passionate pursuit to have her at the beginning but how it may have become compromised along our journey with her.
Sometimes it takes more work to fight for keeping that flame blazing strong.
In all she offers us, what she desires in return is to be pursued . . . But what is pursuit?
(Scripture found in Song of Solomon, chapter 4)
