Zooey Deschanel Might Be On To Something

Being tender and open is beautiful. As a woman, I feel continually shhh’ed. Too sensitive. Too mushy. Too wishy washy. Blah blah. Don’t let someone steal your tenderness. Don’t allow the coldness and fear of others to tarnish your perfectly vulnerable beating heart. Nothing is more powerful than allowing yourself to truly be affected by things. Whether it’s a song, a stranger, a mountain, a raindrop, a teakettle, an article, a sentence, a footstep, feel it all – look around you. All of this is for you. Take it and have gratitude. Give it and feel love.
— Zooey Deschanel

Zooey Deschanel: the new “It” girl, the quirky TV and movie actress… and the love of my brother’s life.  She may not be the perfect Christian role model or have everything right but she does have a point here.

We, as women, are tender, open and sensitive.  Praise God for that! That is part of being a woman and it is beautiful, it is not a defect.  The world might be telling you to man up and stop being so complicated, but God created us this way.  In Genesis 1:27 God tells us we were created in His image and likeness and that is why we must not hide our emotions and our tenderness - because they are of God.

Zooey might not have realized it, but she was on to something much deeper: women resemble God’s own heart.  She is not only telling us about our feminine hearts, but also about God’s.  God’s heart is also tender and open and sensitive.

Since we resemble God’s heart, He understands us exactly, even though we might not even understand our own selves. In the book Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge it says, “God knows what takes your breath away and what makes your heart beat faster.”  God uses this knowledge to chase our hearts and to come to a deeper relationship with us.  While a song or a stranger might have an affect on us, He is affected by a glance from us, or a moment of prayer with Him.  God longs for us to look to Him, to sit at His feet and recognize how He is pursuing us everyday.  In John 19:28 Jesus says “I thirst.”  Yes He thirsts for you. When a man is in love, he pursues a woman. God is totally and completely in love with you, expect to be pursued!

What happens throughout your day did not happen by chance or coincidence, it was God pursuing your very heart.  When your favorite song was played, that was God longing to see you smile.  That stranger that needed help was God challenging you to become the person you were created to be.  That mountain you saw was God showing you His beauty and His strength.  That raindrop was a symbol of God’s divine mercy washing away all of your sins.  That teakettle is God’s warmth and love.  That article or sentence that moved you is God wanting you to learn more about Him.  And that footstep you saw is God walking right beside you through everything.  All of this is for you.  Allow the Lord to romance and affirm you in these ways because He wants to!

Whether He puts these things in your life to challenge you or make you smile or to teach you something, it was meant for you and He did it on purpose.  It is then our job to do our part and recognize these beautiful signs.  Soak them in and rejoice in the Lord.  We are often very attentive to how guys talk to us and pursue us but we are not very attentive to how God pursues us. Have gratitude in all things especially the small things.  Feel His love all around you and give Him love back.  Just as we are affected, God is affected by our love.  

God made you exactly how He wanted you to be, so allow yourself to be tender and be open and be sensitive.  Rejoice in your femininity and rejoice in the ways God is showering His love on you and to your individual feminine heart.  Pray for the disposition to see how God is pursuing you everyday.  To truly know that someone desires your heart is the greatest joy.  

“Open your hearts, Love is on its way!” –Jude 1:2

In Him,
Olivia