Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Prince Charming: Real or Pretender?


Perfect-Match
Don't bring me a Prince Charming
In silk and shiny tights.
Don't bring me someone rich.
Just bring me Mr. Right!
He doesn't have to be perfect.
His eyes don't have to be blue.
He doesn't have to sing real fine,
But let him, Lord, be true!
He doesn't have to be talented,
Or wear running shoes.
He doesn't even have to be handsome,
But, Lord, let him love you!
I don't ask for the Mighty Hulk
Or even Superman.
All I ask for is what I know you'll give me-
My Perfect-Match-Man!

(The above is an old poem I wrote several years ago. But the truth in it still resonates today!)

Let's face it- if you are a girl who grew up in my generation, at one point in time or another you dreamed of being a princess. And if you dreamed of being a princess, you dreamed of a castle. If you dreamed of a castle, then you obviously dreamed of a prince to share that castle with. Hey, maybe it was even his castle to begin with and you were the little non-royal Cinderella. (In that case, that castle didn't stay just his for long, am I right?)


 Yeah, that poor prince didn't have a chance.

As you grew up, you figured out that not all royals are princes. Just because he looked good, talked good, and knew how to sweep you off your feet, didn't mean he was Prince Charming. (Unless you were blessed with meeting your prince early in life. If so, the rest of us find you downright annoying.) After seeing so many of these charlatans, eventually you forget what the real thing looks like.

Maturity is a big thing- especially spiritual maturity. Those of us who are Daughters of The King are set in our decision that our prince must be a man spiritually, even if he is young physically. A few weeks ago I was asked by a friend of mine how to tell if a man is mature, so I quickly threw together this answer:
A mature man knows his faults and tries to overcome them. He loves Christ above all else and if it comes down to a choice between Christ and you (not that they are both mutually exclusive, but if there had to be a choice), he would choose Christ. He can lead others while admitting that he doesn't know it all. He also is open to Godly correction from others, showing strength and humility.
He is not easily swayed in his faith by circumstances in life.
He has to be all these things because eventually he will be the leader and pastor of his wife and children. Without them, he will find such a job very hard.
Hear that, guys? That's a lot of responsibility right there. When it comes down to the nitty-gritty basics, this is what we ladies want. But this is also very hard to find. If you are a guy reading this post, take a moment to think about yourself. Do you embody these characteristics? Take another look. Who really does this describe? When I read the above, I don't just see a man- I see Jesus.

Ladies, what a true Daughter of The King should want isn't just a prince. It should be a copy of Jesus. An imperfect copy, true. But a reflection of Him nonetheless. Now, before you go harping on your boyfriend to change, remember this- a prince deserves a princess. Think of the story of The Princess And The Pea. In the story, there were a lot of princesses who tried to win the prince's hand, but only one princess proved herself to be one. And she's the one who received the prize.

Are you a prince/princess? Or are you a royal pretender?

Think about it.

Update: If you liked this, read the accompanying post- True Princess: Sleeping Beauty or Snow White?

3 comments:

  1. Such a nice post!!! Like it! :D And I also like the way you portray the so called Prince Charming. You know, I can't say I've ever liked too much this guy- I mean, the common Prince Charming image distorts somehow the image of how a real man should be, and it is also a too flat perspective, putting emphasis on his seeming perfect nature. But we do not have the same values as the world does, do we. I wholeheartedly agree about the spiritual maturity of both persons, but moreover about that of the man, because he's going to be the head of the family, after all. I hope you'll meet your Perfect- Match- Man soon, if you didn't meet him already. ;)

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    1. Thanks! Often we as women don't see how important it is for our future hubby to be mature spiritually and emotionally. We don't understand that the fuzzy romantic feelings pass and something stronger needs to be there when they do. I have learned some of the above things the hard way, so I am very thankful to be able to pass on these things to other young women.

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  2. You're so right!!! There's a big difference between a boy and a man, and also between any man and a man of God. Thanks for sharing!

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