God intended for us as young Christian women to live a
life that is completely and fully transformed by the power, life and radiance
of our Heavenly Prince. For us to live lives that are not our own, but Christ’s’,
for He lives within us.
Unfortunately, modern femininity falls short of this example of true beauty
because we do not understand the reality of who Jesus is meant to be in our
lives.
Jesus is not meant to be slipped into our lives whenever
it is convenient. He is not meant to be treated as a casual buddy we hang out
with every once in a while. Jesus wants to be our LIFE. He wants to occupy
every waking thought, action, attitude, word and decision.
Being a Christian means that your life is hid with
Christ. You are not your own. You have no time of your own, no money of your
own. Christ must become your complete Master.
If you are ready to trade the hollow self-made beauty of
this world for the glorious Christ-built beauty of a set-apart young woman,
this is where it all begins. Denying self, taking up your cross and following
the Lamb wherever He leads. In other words, letting go of all preoccupations
with self; our comfort, our pleasure, our agenda, our popularity, our ability
to gain the world’s approval, even our own dreams and desires. And as Paul did,
treating all those things as rubbish for the excellence of the knowledge of Him
and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings
(Phillippians 3:7-9).
At first glance, it sounds like a very scary decision to
make. If we stop looking out for our own agendas and become completely
preoccupied with Christ, won’t our lives become dull and boring? If we stop
pursuing worldly applause, worldly beauty and worldly pleasure, won’t our lives
lose all their radiance?
Just the opposite! A life overtaken by the Heavenly
Beauty of Christ is the only life truly worth living. Yes, it may include some
discomfort, prison, pain or even death, but it also includes triumph, joy,
peace and fulfillment in their richest and purest forms. Jesus Christ takes
good care of the things we entrust to Him.
When we offer our existence to Him, we may not gain fame,
fortune or sex appeal, but we will gain all the riches of His Kingdom. We will
gain the lasting loveliness that every woman longs for. We will gain the
unshakable fulfillment that the rest of this world spends their entire lives
searching for in vain. Not only that, but we will live out the most spectacular
real life adventures this world has ever seen.
I don’t know about you, but that sums up everything that
I truly desire. I want the kind of beauty and radiance that never fades away. I
want to join the ranks of set-apart femininity and glow with the kind of
loveliness that all of Heaven cheers.
“...those who catch the vision are ready to follow the
Lamb wherever He leads, and as they follow, in this spirit of joyful adventure,
their path becomes clear before them and they are given power to fulfill their
higher calling. They are those who have the courage to break the conventionalities,
who care not at all what the world thinks of them, because they are entirely
taken up with the tremendous reality of Christ.” – Bishop Bardley
