A Way Of Blossoming

Whether or not you think this next series is relevant to growing in womanhood depends on how you think a person develops lasting character. All beauty and goodness in our lives is the result of our becoming more like God which is something we do as we grow in closeness and love to Him. Jesus called the ways in which we desire to be beautiful and purposeful ‘fruit’, and used imagery of Christians being like branches that are one with the vine who is God. With this picture, it is clear that apart from Him we can do nothing. Love is naturally transforming. Understanding the reality of what it means to long for or despise the love of God, is essential to making positive decisions and identifying areas where we are cut off from the life and love of God. And as our lives become more marked by wisdom than by spiritual idolatry, the fruit of grace has a way of blossoming.

So far, most of the discussion has centered on God’s pursuit of us, but equally essential to the course of your life is your response to His invitation. As Rabindranath Tagore said: “love's gift cannot be given. It waits to be accepted.”Interestingly, the Bible speaks of the human response to God in feminine allegory; Lady Wisdom is the example of a faithful and holy interaction with God, and The Harlot is the archetype for sinful rebellion. This next series of posts will examine both trends in our hearts, and why the reality of Christ surfaces these two extremes within us.