This morning, the organization Compassion International ( http://www.compassion.com ) was putting on an expo at my church. They needed volunteers to help run the tables where people go to pick a sponsor child, so I volunteered to help during the first service. Towards the end of my shift, I see a young newly wed couple walking up to the table, and they start looking at the packets for each of the children. I go through the rehearsed spiel about how to sponsor a child, what sponsorship is, and all that jazz, and then let them resume their looking. They finally choose a little boy from South America and begin filling out the forms.
In most aspects, they were just like every other family who had come to the table- they picked their kid, filled out the form, and left; but for some reason this couple had something special about them- particularly the way he acted.
When they walked up to the table, he had his hand on her back and was smiling as they talked about how they felt like God was calling them to sponsor a child. He was engaged in doing the Lord’s work alongside his wife.
I want a man like that.
While they were browsing through children, he made the comment about how he sincerely wished they could sponsor them all. He would pick up packets for children and show them to his wife, saying that they needed a family. He loves others.
I want a man like that.
After they decided on which child to sponsor, they began discussing how they could save the thirty eight dollars every month in order to pay for the sponsorship. He said he could stop buying sodas at work. He is sacrificial for the needs of others.
I want a man like that.
While she was filling out the form, he had his hand on her back and was praying for their sponsor child, that God would watch over him and show him His love through them. He loves God and believes in his active love and power.
I want a man like that.
Please don’t get me wrong, I know that God hasn’t brought a man like this into my life romantically yet because he knows that I’m not ready. But, because I’ve been single now for the first time in three years, I have genuinely had an opportunity to think about what it is I want in a man. And I’ve realized that God (obviously!) knew what his plans were when me and my ex-boyfriend broke up. While he is a wonderful young man, he misses the main thing I’m wired for: missions. Sharing the gospel by loving other people in God’s name. I can see now that God knew how much tension that would have caused in a marriage even when I couldn’t. And honestly, whether or not God has someone else in store for me (I AM STILL PRAYING HE DOES, I AM NOT PRETENDING TO BE ONE OF THOSE GIRLS WHO DOESN’T STILL WANT A HUBBY, and quite honestly I think that’s okay as long as it doesn’t become an idol. I believe he wired us to want that companionship.) but whether or not he has someone else in store for me, I know it could never have worked with my ex. And I am now so thankful that God has since opened up my eyes to guys who are all in. Who love God more than anything. Who love others more than themselves. Who will love me more than they love themselves.
And I want a man like that.
But first, I’m praying that God will make me into a young woman like that.
We serve a faithful, loving God. I cannot fathom his plan. He is bigger than anything I can imagine and anything I think I know. And he loves us. I pray that he will make me more like him.
And as cliché as it is, my verse for this one is
1 Corinthians 13: 4-7
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
allideepaul 