Leslie Ludy - Authentic Beauty. The Shaping of a Set-Apart Young Woman

W HEN I FIRST began putting words to the message of this book, I pretended that you and I were sitting together in a quaint little coffee shop. We were sipping on our steaming, foamy concoctions, looking each other in the eye, and having a heart-to-heart conversation. For hours and hours, as other customers entered and exited the little shop, we continued talking. We were unaware of time and oblivious to our surroundings. As our coffee mugs slowly emptied, you told me your story. And I told you mine. You shared your questions, struggles, fears, and victories. And I shared mine.

I felt an amazing connection with you as my mind's eye saw us sharing and listening and laughing and crying together. It was the image of our unforgettable time in the cozy coffee shop that inspired the words and style of this book. I pray that as you read each page, you will not feel as if you are reading an impersonal documentary or clinical theory written to the masses. Instead, it is my desire that you will feel as I did when I wrote itthat we are simply two friends, sitting in a coffee shop, having an open, honest, heartfelt talk.

Many of the most poignant examples of cultural influences over my femininity happened at a young agein high school, middle school, or even youngerso in this book I share quite a few stories from the growing-up years of my life. You may be well past those years of your life as you read about them. You may have experienced things differently than I did growing up. But I hope that the truths and principles illustrated through the stories shared in these pages will speak to you no matter what your age or history. Most of all, it is my prayer that this message will stir within you a longing for Jesus Christ like you have never known before. My hope is that this book will lead you closer to Him than you ever thought you could be. My desire is that the message of this book will impact your life as profoundly as it has mine.

Here are a few details for you to be aware of as you read this book: For the sake of simplicity, when this book refers to our Prince or heavenly Lover, those references are meant to encompass all persons of Godthe Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Furthermore, when I present the concept of Jesus being our Lover and Prince, I am referring to a principle clearly presented throughout Scripture of Christ as a Bridegroom and believers as His bride. Indeed, the entire book of Song of Solomon is a poetic expression of this amazing truth.

I am aware that some in our modern times have attempted to pervert this concept into a carnal, twisted, and fleshly ideareferring to an intimate relationship with Christ as if it were a physically sexual relationship rather than a holy spiritual communion. Because of this abuse, some Christians have begun to shy away from the idea of approaching Christ as a Lover or Bridegroom. But to ignore a truth can prove just as dangerous as twisting a truth. If we ignore the Bridegroom attribute of our Lord, we will miss out on the fullness of what it means to have real intimacy with Him.

I hope that, through this book, you will be able to see Jesus Christ in the Lover of your soul, not in a fleshly or physical way, but rather at the spiritual depths of your being, with all reverence and respect. As the great preacher Charles Spurgeon said,

The music of the Song of Solomon belongs to a higher spiritual life, and has no charm in it for unspiritual ears. The immature may find their carnal and sensuous affections stirred up by it towards Jesus, whom they know after the flesh rather than the spirit. The Song occupies a sacred enclosure into which none may enter unprepared. The only ones who can truly understand this love story are those who have attained deep, familiar intimacy with the great Bridegroom.

Let me mention a few practical things before we begin our conversation. Though it is impossible to truly describe the God experiences that have taken place in my own life, I have written about them here as if they were actual, word-for-word conversations in hopes of helping translate the concept of interacting with the Spirit of God into simple, everyday language. Additionally, whenever this book uses paraphrased scriptures to make their messages easier to grasp, the actual translations of those scriptures are provided in the endnotes. Also, when necessary, the names of people, places, and some minor details have been altered in order to protect privacy. I should also mention that much of what is shared in these pages is quite candid and thematically mature, so I suggest parental guidance for younger girls who might want to read this book.

Authentic Beauty was first released several years ago, and I have been so incredibly humbled and blessed since then to hear from thousands of young women around the country and the world who have been shaped and inspired by the message of this book. I am especially excited about this new edition, which includes three bonus sections from Eric (my wonderful husband) called Studying Manhood. Most of us, as young women, have spent a good deal of time in a state of perplexity about the confusing subject of guys, and I have thousands of e-mails and letters from young women to prove it! Why do guys think the way they do? Why do guys treat us the way they do? Why is modern-day manhood so mediocre? These are crucial questions that need to be examined as we seek to discover set-apart femininity.