Twirling Skirts

I just finished reading the book "Captivating" by John and Stasi Eldredge. An analogy early on in the book talks of little girls and their deep fascination and pleasure at twirling around in skirts and dresses, asking a question that follows women throughout life, "Am I lovely?" I have long been known as a hopeless romantic, losing myself in the fictional stories of an epic struggle to win the love of a beautiful woman by an equally magnificent man. I remember watching "Never Been Kissed" as a teenager and memorizing that last scene in my mind. Josie (played by Drew Barrymore) makes herself completely vulnerable, takes the risk and puts herself out there, stands in front of a crowd, asking in her heart "am I lovely?". The first time I saw the movie, and the timer runs out and no dashing guy is there to kiss her I felt so cheated, how dare he not come to her side! Of course, what kind of movie would that be, to end like that, so as you may know, the love interest does come running onto the scene (just a few moments later than we expected) and sweeps her into his arms and gives her the kiss she had been waiting for. Another happy ending (thank goodness!)
And while I know that it was only a movie, Cinderella was only a story, and no evil witch has locked me up in a tower...my heart still longs to know "Am I lovely? Am I worth fighting for?"
The book stated that women's hearts long for 3 things: to be romanced, to play an irreplaceable role in a great adventure (we long to be needed), and to unveil beauty. Most women doubt very much that they have any genuine beauty to unveil. And as I write beauty, I don't mean simply in the physical body form, but the deep beauty that comes from within. I consider Mother Theresa to have been a very beautiful woman, because of who she was, not what her physical appearance was.
As a child, I loved playing dress-up, putting on "fashion shows", and hearing my dad (and whoever else was around) ooooh and ahhhh, as I twirled around, and tell me I was lovely, I was a delight, I was beautiful. (and honestly, it hasn't been that long...think back to Prom Night...how much time did you spend getting ready? How much did you love taking pictures with all your friends as everyone exclaimed how great everyone looked?).
As the church we are called the Bride of Christ, we are meant to be lovely, arrayed in beauty for the wedding. God has clearly told us we are worth fighting for, He sent His Son to die for us. He has already fought the battle on our behalf. He has slayed the dragon, climbed the castle tower, and yes, He also romances us.