Seeds of Greatness
Column by Lady Catherine Beatty

That sounds like the title to a book and it could very well be. I’m sure the subject has been written about many times and presented in various formats. So as I give my views on this much talked about topic, look at it as a fresh point of view and not just old news.

As a woman of 64 years of age and soon to be 65, I’ve had a lot of time to think about this great question. As we grow older, our perceptive of life changes. As children we’ve read fairytales and grown up with certain expectations on how life should be. Then when we experience the ups and downs of real life, the Cinderella syndrome gradually fades away. Our handsome prince turned into a frog, he arrived on a tired old mule instead of a beautiful white stallion and our glass slipper broke long before it should have. So much for fairytales! As young girls reading stories such as Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty we adopt unrealistic perceptions about life and love. While desiring to be loved is normal, our approach in securing that love is tainted with unattainable desires. Now there is nothing wrong with wanting the best out of life. I believe our Heavenly Father gave His Son so that we can have life and have it more abundantly. In John 10:10 the Word tells us "I have come so that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." However, His greatest gift wasn’t things, it was His love. And because He loves us, He has blessed us with good things.

LOVE is what every woman desires and every man seeks after. Not as the world loves, but as the Father loves; "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).

When we seek love through the mentality of a fairytale, we become discouraged when our prince turns into a frog. (Well, that would discourage anyone.) Then when our dreams are shattered we lose hope and begin to search for love outside of God’s plan. I believe God was the first romantic; after all, He put Adam and Eve in the Garden of Paradise. His first creations were perfect in every way. Their love was pure and sensual. Even now, every man and woman is still trying to find that perfect love set in a garden of paradise.

God designed man to be the pursuer. In each man is that desire to pursue and conquer. That’s why men are so competitive. Have you ever noticed when a young boy wants to impress a girl, he’ll do something he thinks is really cool. Even though the young girl may think his actions are silly, the desire to be pursued is still there. Men always want to be the best in their fields. They want their women to see them as heroes, and yes even as their prince charming. Men want to pursue a wife and conquer her love. Unfortunately in today’s world, so many men think when a woman goes to bed with him, he has conquered her. And perhaps in some ways that is true, but not in the way God intended for man to conquer. Sex is confused for love. Love does not evolve out of sex. Sex evolves out of love and only should be entered into in the marriage bed. God loved, then He created man and woman. He gave them to each other as husband and wife and then from that was the sexual union formed. Wow! Have we messed things up! But even though we have forfeited God’s perfect plan, He still made a way out for us and His name is Jesus. Through the shedding of His blood the sins of the world have been completely wiped away. We are forgiven. Praise be to our Lord and Savior. With that said, as a married woman I wouldn’t intentionally hurt or disappoint my husband. While on occasions I have hurt him, I’ve tried not to repeat the same mistake over and over. I love my husband and my heart’s desire is to please him, not hurt him. So while we know our sins are forgiven, we should strive to please our Lord, and not hurt Him.

Women really want to be pursued and conquered, not to be owned and abused, but honored and respected. Most men don’t know how to do this. Again, they are led more by their physical needs which in essence is the deep-seated spiritual and emotional need for love. It’s our place to show the men how to seek after our love and the man’s place to conquer our love. When we give into a man’s physical wants outside of marriage, he might feel he has nothing left to conquer. Remember ladies, the greatest quest a man has is to pursue and conquer. When there is nothing left to pursue or conquer, then he might become bored and look for another adventure. Maybe that’s why men spend so much time at work, get so involved with sports or other things, because the woman has lost the art of being pursued. Their relationship doesn’t ignite in him the spirit of adventure.

There are so many lonely people in this great world of ours. All desiring to be loved, all seeking to find that one special person who will complete them. Never realizing that our Heavenly Father is seeking the same thing. He is and always has been the true Pursuer and is waiting to conquer our love. It saddens me to know that even in the Kingdom of God we have strayed so far off God’s plan for our happiness. We seek things instead of seeking Him. We seek after people, instead of seeking Him. We seek love all in the wrong places, instead of seeking Him and allowing Him to bring us that special someone.

"But seek first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness, and ALL these things shall be added unto you" (Matthew 6:33 NKJV). If you are a woman desiring to be loved or a man seeking love, the only true way to find this love is to pursue the very One who is SEEKING YOU. His desire is to conquer your love and fulfill your dreams. For He truly is a conquering hero and His name is King Jesus and He greatly loves you. If you need to know more about Him, please let me hear from you and I’ll introduce you to Him. Until the next time…

Make it a great day ladies.
~Lady Catherine

About the Author:  Lady Catherine has ministered to women for fifteen years. During this time she has been a guest speaker at woman’s conferences and churches. She was the founder of the Women of Distinction Organization, which helped women rise above the poverty level and find their purpose in life. Her company, Destination by Design is the Life Coach connection for women who desire to find balance in their personal and spiritual life. She is a wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother. You may visit her web site at LadyCBeatty.48days.com, or email her at lcbeatty@bellsouth.net.