Captivating Revised and Updated: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman's Soul

by John Eldredge

Just a few weeks ago I was talking with our friend Debbie; she’s the one whose father had an affair and who has spent so much time and energy trying to “fix” whatever was wrong with her. “What if you have a genuine and captivating beauty that is marred only by your striving?” She leaned back against her chair and sighed at the thought. Something softened. Suddenly she was soft, and beautiful. The veil was parted, and there she was—a beautiful woman. Gone was the resignation; gone were the anxiety and pain. She was, for a moment, at rest. “What does your heart do with that possibility?” A moment’s pause. “Two things arise in me,” she said. “‘Hooray!’ and, ‘Damn!’” I smiled at her honesty. “Hooray that it might be true after all, and damn because what have I been doing all these years?”