My Undressed Mind

It happens often. I’ll admit it. And sometimes it annoys people, but I can’t help it.

Confession: I tweet song lyrics. A LOT.

Music speaks to me. Sometimes the message is blatant. Other times, it is quite ambiguous. But music… OH. MY. HEART.

There is this song I love, and its lyrics have continued to resonate in my soul every time I have heard them…

“Just about the time the shadows start to call
I undress my mind and dare you to follow…”
(Sara Bareilles- One Sweet Love)

I’m generally a pretty conservative person and undressing anything seems a bit risqué so I have been careful not to tweet those lyrics until I could offer further explanation. And so…

“We desire to possess a beauty that is worth pursuing, worth fighting for, a beauty that is core to who we truly are. We want beauty that can be seen; beauty that can be felt; beauty that affects others; a beauty all our own to unveil.”
(Stasi Eldredge- Captivating [The complementary book to Wild at Heart.
READ THIS BOOK TOO. So good.])

You want to make me feel beautiful? Talk to me. And care about what I have to say. Women, am I right? A simple, “How was your day?” coupled with a genuine, engaged interest in the response is one of the most simple and kind gestures a man can put forth.

I once read a statistic that, on average, women need at least 30 minutes of valuable conversation A DAY. Men, however, need approximately 10 minutes A WEEK. Sweet Lord. (Disclaimer: This may not be exactly accurate, but it’s close… and well, you get the point.)

So if men are built for battle… And women long to be fought for… Well, that sounds like a pretty easy equation.

But somewhere along the way, we have failed. We must teach our girls that one area of beauty that shines the brightest is the beauty of who we truly are. We must teach them not to settle for someone who sees only the beauty of their appearance– but reaches to read the beauty inside of their soul. Instead, we have built our girls for battle. Teaching them to be silent and strong. And we have squandered our boys’ desire to be fighters encouraging them to be passive because women are smarter and can do it better. Shame on us.

I am going to make a bold statement. One many may not agree with. But here it is. The single most way a woman’s confidence can be built is to TALK to her. It makes her feel important, valued, and intelligent. And there is nothing so beautiful as a woman who can eloquently hold her own with poised confidence in conversation.

Women. Hold out for someone who will pursue your undressed mind as the shadows call. Someone who longs to see the beauty that transcends your appearance. Someone who will care enough to extend the simple gesture of fighting for you. In conversation…