Happily Ever After...

I just finished a book written by Lance Armstrong's ex-wife, Kristin Armstrong, called Happily Ever After. It deals with her struggles after their divorce and what she's learned. Below are some passages that really spoke to me.

What Kind of Woman?

Have you had the incredible good fortune to spend time in the company of a spiritually mature woman? Her presence, emanating from her gracious and fully open heart, simultaneously soothes and inspires. People of both sexes long to be near her. She is warm, intuitive, and radiates the peace of a person comfortable in her own skin. Her level of comfort with herself is disarming, allowing everyone around her to relax and be fully themselves, fully present in the moment. She is not constantly reaching, doing, or wielding her power. She doesn't need to. She is awesomely at rest in the embodiment of herself...her contentment is contagious, her peace palpable, and her influence divine...(she)possesses a quiet, resting joy. It bubbles like champagne under the surface of her being, threatening to effervesce--in a smile, a laugh, a hug, or a kind remark. You want to be where she is, even if it's the grocery store.

Handling a Change of Plans

As women, our finest role model in the art of surrendered living is Mary. She was greeted by an angel, was probably terrified, and was told that she was to become an unwed mother and that her child would be none other than the Son of God. She didn't react by screaming, fleeing, pouring a glass of wine, or calling a friend, "You are not going to believe this..." No. She handled this amazing change of life's direction with courage and grace. Her surrender to God in the face of great change was absolute. Her unshakable faith and her resolute "Yes" changed the course of history. How do we react when we are met with an unforeseen change in circumstances? How quickly can we adjust when plans change? When fear causes us to shrink back from living a surrendered life, we must think of Mary and remember that we, too, are handmaids of the Lord.

Lasting Love

In our world today, love is overly romanticized and our expectations are pumped with false pretenses. We are such a disposable society that we find it easier and more convenient to throw a relationship away than to do the work required to sustain and protect love. Lasting love is not about feelings; it's about commitment. It's about sticking it out when you feel like peeling out...Jesus shows us that the ultimate display of love is not emotion but self-sacrifice. Mature love is fortified by each small gesture of self-sacrifice, in showing more concern for the greater good than for individual fulfillment.