Bae.

I'll be the first woman in my 20's to admit that marriage is thee last thing on my mind. Notice I didn't say wedding lol what lady can turn down wearing a fab dress and being treated like the world revolves around her for a day?

Wedding dress? YES! Wedding day? YES! Honeymoon? YES! MARRIAGE?! Uhhhmmmmm..

Why the hesitation? Well, the wedding lasts for just one day, that's the easy part. Marriage is the forever part. As women, we must think long and hard and prayerfully about the man we say "yes" to (relationship, courtship, marriage wise) because it could greatly alter the call of God on our lives. As God slowly reveals His call on my life, I weigh it against the men that approach me. If it doesn't line up,

As women, we long for a man who will go to great lengths to show us how special we are to him. We want a man who will wait for us, be patient with our short comings, long for intimacy with us everyday and never even think about turning their back on us no matter how bad we mess up or how "crazy" we are. Don't get me wrong, I want those things too (I ain't crazy though lol) but these qualities will not be a great foundation for "forever." Christ taught me to long for a man who's qualities are directly in-line with His.

Christ's Qualities in our Relationship:

1. He is patient with me when I mess up. "The LORD is compassionate and gracious, Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness." Psalm 103:8

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9 

2. He yearns for me everyday, He always wants to talk and spend QUALITY time with me."Or do you think the Scripture means nothing when it says that the Spirit that God caused to live in us jealously yearns for us?" James 4:5

3. He gave up whatever he had to,  and endured suffering to the point of death on a cross to make me His beautiful bride.

"For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich." 2 Corinthians 8:9

"And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death-- even death on a cross!" Philippians 2:8

        "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her" Ephesians 5:25

5. He is never tired of loving me! "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom." Isaiah 40:28

6. He cares about my purity. "that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish." Ephesians 5:27

7. He loved me first. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 1 John 4:10 

We love him, because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19 

These are just to name a few but the more I get to know Him, the more I fall in love with Him. He is the template of Physical/Earthly love. He is the template of marriage. It would be absolutely silly for me to settle for a man who offers me less than what Christ gave. Of course he is not to "replace" Christ in my life, he simply patterns his behavior and love for me according to Christ's perfect example. From this perspective marriage doesn't seem so terrible after all?

Grace & PEACE.