| prince charming in training |

Yesterday, I got a text message and a question from my friend Peggy. She wanted to know, since girls dream about their prince charming from young ages, what do boys dream about.

I didn't know how to answer such things. I definitely did not think about having a princess of my own to be "rescuing" when I was younger. Peggy was right, that was kind of the furthest thing from my mind. I wasn't interested in setting things in order for the day that I might meet the woman that God has for me. I just figured that when it would happen, it would happen. Something about planning ahead did not appeal to me.

In all actuality, It wasn't until I got into my 3rd year of college that I even thought of those kinds of things. I entertained the idea of writing letters to my future wife, perhaps concocting a poem or two that I would give her on our wedding night (or something unimaginably romantic like that). That stuck for a little while. I was into reading all of these Christian relationship books. "I Kissed Dating Goodbye", "When God Writes Your Love Story", and I think there was even one called "I Gave Dating a Chance". All of these books would put these crazily romantic ideas in my head about how things should go in a relationship. I think they were ok for the most part, but really they didn't get to anything that I wanted to learn about. I was beginning to think about more of what I was looking for in a person, and building up this perfect scenario in my head about how everything would take shape.

A lot of people spend time putting thought into the type of partner the would like to find. They need to be Christian, they have to have a nice smile, must be compassionate... etc. "I want to have a prince, or a princess!" I don't think that it's wrong to be putting together ideas about the type of person you want to date/marry, but I am more into the idea of thinking about yourself.

I want to be a prince!!!

This is the way I'm thinking about things. I really do want to be some girl's prince charming someday. I'm really concerned about being someone that a woman would like to marry. Instead of putting a list of expectations/wants/desires onto someone else, I'm thinking my characteristics. (Am I someone that I would want to marry?) Am I like the person that I'm building up in my head? Am I compassionate? Am I patient? Am I loving? Am I understanding? I really want to make sure that I am embodying these things, instead of using them as the criteria to find acceptable candidates for the position of significant other. The chances are pretty good that there is a woman out there looking for the same things. I want to make sure that the lucky woman is not going to be shortchanged. I don't want to find someone who is amazingly, abundantly, and indescribably wonderful, and have them deal with ordinary ol' me, who is not bringing anything to the table for her.

I think that in focusing on myself, I am able to work with Jesus quite closely, to figure out who I am, and what kind of person He has in mind for me to be. I'm not griping with Him for not sending a particular kind of person my way, I'm looking to make myself the best I can be for Him, and in turn, He can handle the dealings of someone's heart. He'll prepare a woman for me, that is His perfect match for me, regardless of what I think that might look like.

One day, I'll hopefully find that princess, and she'll love me as her prince charming, as "charming" or not, as I may be.

I'm out...