Loving Prince Charming

Love.

 Something I was obsessed about finding when I was a teenager. I wrote about it. Poems, stories. Like every teenage girl I (like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman) wanted the fairy tale.

I wanted the knight in shining armor, the prince with the glass slipper. I would wonder who I would marry? Would I find that special someone? Would I be forced to live as a "spinster" (It's what my good friend and I would joke about when we were unattached. Which was more often than not).

 Then I met my knight in shining armor.

 Life is funny. He didn't fit the description of the prince I had dreamed up but there was something about him. Something different. He wasn't like all the other guys. He was polite and respectful. He was respected for his beliefs and he stood up for them.
He LOVED his mama and he wasn't afraid that everyone saw him give her a hug and a kiss before each basketball game.

 We started dating when I was a junior and he was a senior in highschool. I thought for sure that once he graduated he was going to dump me and find some hot older "college chick". He didn't budge. As Forrest said "We went together like peas and carrots". People called us Barbie and Ken.

 We started attending church together. I left the church I was baptised and grew up in to go with him and his family. I went from a very quiet, hymn singing church to a very charismatic, tongue talking, dancing in the isles church. All for love. I learned SO MUCH. It was the first time I ever recall feeling the Holy Spirit in such an almost tangible way. It was life changing.

 I think we both knew that we were meant to be husband and wife early on but, we waited and dated for 5 years before we became engaged. And the preparations for the Grand Ball began.

 Oh, back then, I don't know that the term "Bridezilla" exsisted. I was fortunately pretty grounded in my plans and expectations. He was just along for the Glitter speckled ride.

 The Wedding took place on March 7, 1998 at 2 o'clock in the afternoon. I still remember many details of the day as if it happened yesterday. I had such doe eyed hopes and dreams for our future.


As much as we all wish for (or wished for) the perfect man, I'm here to tell you there is no perfect man.
GASP!!! (Stifled laughter)

I am just as guilty as the next woman to put an extreme amount of pressure on my husband Prince Charming to be perfect. When in all reality, he is not. He's fallen short at times (and so have I).

But God.

God steps in and shows us his grace. He shows us how we are to love one another.

I have to stop and think that even though no man is perfect and there really is no such thing as a perfect Prince Charming. God is.

God is perfection.

When our Prince Charming's fall short of our expectations, we need to lean into the almighty Prince (of Peace) Charming. He will guide us and give us wisdom to be the Cinderella that he's called us to be.

1 Corinthians 13:13 GNB  Meanwhile these three remain: faith, hope, and love; and the greatest of these is love.

Linking up with The Faith Barista today! :)

photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kristaphoto/5248135968/">kristaguenin</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/">cc</a>