I thought this was going to be another book on the value of inner beauty, but I was delightfully wrong. The premise of Fierce Beauty by Kim Meeder is much deeper than that. We were not designed to be princesses of entitlement but warriors of encouragement. Our calling is to let go of our crown of gems (our puny personal ambitions, desires, and agendas) in order to pursue our true identity: His crown of thorns (the will of our King). Only by doing so will we discover the value, joy, and fulfillment that He intends for us.
Kim Meeder is an amazing combination of athletic and poetic, adventuresome and artistic. She skillfully weaves the description of her adventures so that you feel like you are experiencing them yourself - tasting, smelling, feeling, and seeing her escapades from which she always grasps God’s goodness in showing or teaching her something. Through her explorations, whether in a kayak or climbing a mountain, she exhibits the quality of a true daughter of the King as well as a warrior – a sort of warrior princess.
She explains that a warrior is not distracted by the entanglements of this life. She answers God’s call to fix her eyes and her energy on running hard to the end of the race. But as Christian women, we’re not competing against each other – we are running the race together and we need to help each other fight, hope, and love.
When we are faced with challenges, we should ask: 1) How does God wish for me to grow through this? 2) Since God knows about this and allowed it in my life because I need to grow in a specific area, am I going to trust my King and obediently step forward in faith, knowing that His best plan is to give me a hope and a future?
My life may not be full of exciting adventures as Kim Meeder’s, but I find myself in circumstances that evoke similar feelings – lost, alone, panicked, or uncertain. God is in the midst of every moment of my life wanting to show me more of Him and to grow me, and Kim Meeder gave me multiple examples of inspiration to open my eyes to experience the pure joy in routine moments, difficult moments, and even good moments. I loved this book and highly recommend it to anyone who is ready to be inspired to lay down her crown and pick up her sword. Check out the first chapter at http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?isbn=9781601422033&view=excerpt.
Disclaimer: I was provided a complimentary copy of this book from WaterbookMultnomah Publishing in exchange for a review.
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