Vampires. These "creatures" are not the type that I would normally ponder. Until recently when I began to read the Twilight Saga* by Stephenie Meyers (she spells her name in an odd fashion). These books are about the "creatures" mentioned above. The blood suckers. The leaches. The immortal. The intriguing. The charismatic. The vampires.
There is much to write about my level of enjoyment for this series. However, in order to not spoil anything for those who have not read these books, I will solely focus on one character - Edward. After reading about Edward Cullen, my roommate and I have both proclaimed our desire to marry a vampire. She, being in a serious relationship currently, has asked her boyfriend if there is any possibility he may be one. He says no, but I believe she is still holding out. On Wednesday night, I told my pastor I wanted to marry a vampire. He laughed. I don't think he realized I was serious.
Of course, there are some undesirable characteristics of Mr. Cullen. His skin is cold. He does not enjoy human food. He does drink blood. These are a small price to play for the characteristics that make him wanted by each and every intelligent, grown woman that I have talked to who has read these books. Now, that is four women including myself, but for a series of teen pop culture books, that is a lot. So, what is it that makes Edward Cullen so irresistible?
One word - Devotion.
Edward is handsome, rich, strong, fast, and suave. He comes from a good family, and he has strong moral character. These things add to who his character is, but it is the devotion Edward has to his Love, Bella, that stirs the hearts of women. The moment I felt myself wish that Edward might be real came on a night he saved her from impeding danger. He shows up, out of nowhere, and he defends and rescues her. He does not ask for anything in return. There is also a moment when his devotion leads him to open himself up to her and share with her about himself in a way that he has not shared before.
Of course he loves her. He loves her enough to leave when he believes it is what is best. He loves her enough to put aside his desires as a man to protect and honor her. That loves comes from his devotion to her. He is devoted to this woman. No matter if she walks away from him, he will still go to battle for her, cling to her, and honor her.
There is something within the hearts of women that stirs when we begin to know Edward. It awakens our longings. It heightens our senses. It pushes us into a part of our our lives where we feel weak and wish our own Edward would rescue us by showing up in the nick of time, opening the door to his Volvo, and saying, "Get in." It is easy for us all to let that simply scratch the surface. We read and wish that our lives had an Edward (especially when you are single at 27 and reading teen pop literature... it makes you wish you just had a life). We want a significant other who will care for us that way.
But that is not what stirs us.
No, Ladies. That is not it at all. The stirring, the longing, and the rapid heartbeat comes because the characteristics of Edward reflect God. Some may find it blasphemous to compare the Creator of the Heavens and Earth to a vampire, but you must see the similarities. Edward fought for his true love, bathed her in affection, watched her as she slept, carried her when she was weak, stood up to anything that sought to destroy their relationship, clothed her with honor and grace, and loved her more than anything else on the planet.
That is how God sees us. He rescues us without us even having to ask. He protects our integrity. He loves our vulnerability. He laughs when we make a joke. The Bible actually says he is enthralled by our beauty. This is the God we serve.
My advice? Ladies, let God captivate and woo you. Let him hold your hand and whisper in your ear. Married, dating, or single, it does not matter. God's place can never be filled by a human. Even though we have been created to be held in the arms of a man, our hearts are created to be held in the hands of God.
Gentlemen, get the book and become someone's Edward. But, make sure she loves you, too. Watching someone sleep who does not love you is called stalking.
* I would like record to state that in spite of the controversy some Christians may stir up in light of the evil surrounding vampires, I am not going to tell you that these books are wrong for you to read. In fact, I think that if you are a Christian man or woman who has never struggled with the thought of drinking blood or biting people's necks, you should give them a try. I understand we should flee the very hint of evil, but in this society, that is hard line to draw on books like this where the hint of sex is between married couples only, those who are thought to always be bad stand up for human life, and where family is seen as beautiful and necessary to survival. What about the witchcraft used by the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella? Shall we ban that as well? I will rest my case now.
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