Captivating by Louisa Jolanda, Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman’s Soul

Review of the book Captivating, Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman’s Soul by John and Stasi Eldredge.

Have you ever been drawn to a book, but you keep putting it back on the shelf? Then one day you pick it up and know today is the day you need to buy it. That happened to me back in 2007. I kept seeing Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge every time I entered a book shop. The cover drew me first (which is the purpose of a book’s cover) and then the words on the back stirred something within me. So I picked it off the shelf for the final time and bought it.

Captivating was the first non-fiction book that I ever bought for myself and I couldn’t put it down. As I am sitting here – 12 years later – I can remember how I was devouring this book in every spare moment I got. I would wash the laundry or cook our meals, and then when I’m done, or have a break time in-between chores, I would continue reading. Before this book entered my life I only ever consumed fiction books so fast.

It was like I NEEDED to read it. Something within its pages kept inviting me back for more. I was gulping it down, like a person coming up for air after almost drowning. As I was reading one paragraph after another it was awakening areas of my heart that I didn’t realize was suppressed.  Within its chapters, I found answers to questions I hid due to thinking that they were unimportant or stupid.

Captivating revolves around the Creator’s radiance that has been intertwined into a woman’s soul. It delves into a woman’s heart to a level of depth I have never encountered before in any book. John and Stasi really spoke into places I either ignored or didn’t even realize is present in my life. The unanswered questions and unhealed wounds that take place in the soul has a lasting impact that you carry with you into every decision you make. As I was delving into these I discovered my own wounds that have caused me to make vows, which I was bearing the results of.

The book also reveals the enemy we face daily, who will do everything in its power to destroy our souls. He shows up through these unanswered questions by either leaving us accepting lies as truth or leaving them vacant. He awaits our vulnerable moments in order to attack in a violent manner (verbal, physical, spiritual, etc.) and causes wounds so deeply etched within us that it blocks us from living in freedom. We either carry these wounds as the motto to our life’s story or accept them as an inevitable companion that is always a part of our lives. These things become our life’s final destination but are in actual fact the distortion that prevents us from embracing the life-enhancing destiny God crafted when He created us.

Captivating shares the truth of these encounters and the reason they occur, which leads to the Healer of the wounds. John and Stasi then speak about the desires we suppress, due to the lies we have accepted as truth. They continue on this journey by stirring the heart’s desire to be romanced, unveiling the beauty we were born with, and our relationship dynamics (as moms, sisters and daughters).

In 2007 I still had a very limiting viewpoint as my gaze was glazed by religious tradition. This book’s impact took a few years, after that initial read, to release its breakthrough visibly in my life. But it was a seed planted in my soul, which first had to die (through trials and tribulations) in order to break through the soil of my denial, depression and death.

I began re-reading Captivating for the second time during December last year. Wow, 12 years had passed since I first read it! It opened up even more to me because who I was then (2007) is not even close to who I have turned out to be today (2019). This book began my journey into a deeper relationship with God. I read many books after this one that I wouldn’t have picked up if it weren’t for this book stirring my soul. They all have contributed to releasing me from the prison I found myself in and began releasing courage into my soul, for a life beyond the visible.

Personally, what has rooted in me, as I read Captivating, was that as a woman I am created to be both captivating and courageous. We most often feel it can only be the one or the other, and then carry all these stereotypes attached to it, which creates separation. Whether you are a homemaker or a soldier, a beauty queen or a volunteer, a preacher or a model, a writer or a carpenter, or pursue any other calling/passion, you are captivating and courageous. As women we are created to be beautiful and brave, sensitive and strong, and whatever else we embrace and nurture we will be.

Captivating was a book that unlocked doors I didn’t have the keys to. Through this book my soul was stirred, which then led to other books, so I could eventually awaken from the slumber I accepted as life. This post is by no means a complete summary of this book, but rather an invitation for you to either accept or deny the purpose of your soul. Do you desire to discover greater depths or are you going to continue sleepwalking through life? The choice will always be yours. No one can make it for you.

If you only remember one thing from this post, let it be this: You were created to be Courageously Radiant and any voice that tells you otherwise is a liar. Be brave, precious warrior, you were created to be captivating and the God of the universe’s glory radiates through you.

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Novels by Louisa Jolanda, Captivating by Louisa Jolanda.

Here is the link to Louisa Jolanda original post: Courageously Radiant – Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge.

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