True Beauty

September 6, 2007

Dear Jonathan,

Hi! So this would technically be the first letter from your girlfriend. To tell you the truth, I understand why your brother and your dad didn't really like using the word "girlfriend". Not that there's anything wrong with the word itself, or its true meaning, and besides, others wouldn't understand if we didn't use those terms, it's just that our society and culture have so distorted everything about relationships, making them seem like a "boyfriend" or "girlfriend" is just something to get, something to have, a trophy, a security, something to use.

But that is not the case for us, or any real relationship, whatever it may be. Nor do I ever want it to be.

When we spoke on the phone last night, something in particular struck me from the email your mother sent you. She said how beautiful it is that God has blessed you with me for your faithfulness.

Oh Jonathan, I DO want to be a blessing to you. In the past, I've done a lot of thinking and writing about the things I want in a man. But now I'm thinking more about who I want to be as a woman.

At first I thought of endless things I wanted to be, strong, gentle, loving, respectful, helpful, encouraging, uplifting, honest, joyful, peaceful, faithful...I could go on. And then I realized that all those things and more can be summed up in my desire (and I believe the true desire of all women) to be beautiful.

And I'm not speaking simply of outward beauty, though that definitely has its place. But rather an all-encompassing beauty. I want to be beautiful. In my heart, in my mind, in my words, in my actions. I want to become all that God intends for me to be. I want to be a blessing to all. A blessing to you.

And where does all this lead except back to the simple truth of God's plan for his children from the beginning! For He is the source, He is all Truth, Beauty, and Goodness. And only by being filled with God can I hope to bring truth, beauty, and goodness to others.

So, my prayer for us today and always is that we always strive to know God's love, to be completely filled with it, to each do God's will, and then to have complete trust that by doing that, we truly will be the greatest blessing to each other.

Wow! I never know quite what to expect once I start writing!

I hope everything is going well for you at school. I'm so proud of you for whole-heartedly seeking God's will in all aspects of your life. For all the risks you've had to take, for trusting God so much that you left everything and moved forward though you couldn't see what was ahead.

Your trust in God inspires trust in me. It inspires my trust in God, yes, but also trust in you. I trust you, Jonathan. Thank you so much for being worthy of my trust. Thank you for being a blessing to me!

Yours in Christ,
Maria Therese