Authentic Beauty

I know that I said for the next 72 days I would use this blog to keep everyone informed about slavery and freedom....and I am, but I'm also going to take a minute to share what has been deep within my heart and on my mind.....

I've been reading the book called Authentic Beauty by Leslie Ludy.

I recently have been focusing on the sixth chapter: Lily Whiteness and Romance (Future Husband Application).  I'm not going to get into details about the chapter or about the book because I would basically type the whole book, word for word, all over again. haha. It's that good! But I am just going to focus on one specific part that listed practical steps for loving your future husband. I wanted to share this because I think it is so important to protect not only your heart for yourself but also for your future husband:)

In the book, it talks about being a Set-Apart Woman. In order to be a set-apart woman you must base everything in your life around your true Prince (God) and be completely satisfied in Him. If He was the only thing you had, would you be completely fine with it? Would you still be totally head-over-heels for your Prince?   "Only when we fall in love with Jesus Christ and build our lives completely around Him can we experience human love and romance in its purest and most beautiful form" (page 85).

You must also prepare for a Christ-centered love story by living a lifestyle of lily whiteness.

Lily whiteness lifestyle: (I wrote this on a note card so I could carry it around to remind myself....and I would encourage for other people to do the same.)
1. You must set yourself apart for your future husband.  This doesn't mean just doing the bare minimum of putting up a few boundaries for physical and emotional stuff.  This means putting up boundaries in every part of your being:
your thoughts
your emotions
your dreams
your imaginations
your habits
your actions

"Being set apart means loving and honoring your future husband even before you meet him." -Leslie Ludy

You should protect every area of your life.... Don't just protect your sexual purity...Protect the way you think, the way you react, the way you dream about things, the way you imagine things or situations, protect your habits, protect your actions. I can't tell you how many times in my life I have wasted my emotions, thoughts, dreams, imaginations, and actions on guys that I knew weren't going to be my future husband...Or even guys that I knew I'd NEVER date....

2. Ask yourself the following questions:
-Do I seek male affirmation through flirting, hugging, touching, making puppy-dog eyes, innocent giggling, etc?
-Do I draw guys' attention by showing off my body?
-Do I allow my mind to fantasize about guys I'm attracted to?
-Do I casually offer my heart, mind, emotions, and body to guys when I know it's only going to be a short-lived moment?
-Do I offer too much of myself, even in friendship?
-Am I willing to sacrifice temporary fulfillment to live a lifestyle of lily whiteness for the man I will spend the rest of my life with?
-Am I willing to allow God's faithfulness to bring a love story into my life in His own perfect time and way?
-Am I willing to hand over the pen of my love story to Christ and trust Him completely?

If you keep those two simple numbers in your mind throughout your day and your life...Then you'll be able to keep yourself in check. I know I need to check myself with these. And I'm going to set myself apart for my future husband because he's worth the wait.
I don't know about you...but I would not want my future husband to be doing all of these things with all kinds of different girls....so I need to make sure I'm not letting other guys get in the way either.

"Be the person the person you're looking for is looking for" -Andy Stanley

I encourage you to read Authentic Beauty. It is a fantastic book written by a fantastic woman who is living her Christ-centered love story with the husband God specifically made for her. God has made one specifically for us, too... We just need to wait and trust God.

Last thing: The book also encourages ladies to write a letter to their future husband telling them about the commitment that has been made to be a set-apart woman of lily whiteness. I think you should do this as well! This way...If you ever forget about the book or about the decisions you've made, simply open the letter and read it over again. Pray for your future husband... and then continue to live the lifestyle.

Above all else, guard your heart. Proverbs 4:23
Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

love God. love people. love the world.