who is your prince charming?

When you think "Prince Charming", who comes to mind?

Maybe it's Prince Philip, brave and courageous, who'll do anything to get his girl.

Maybe it's James, who is handsome and, well... charming. ;)

Possibly, Prince Eric. He's okay. He's got good hair. ;)

Maybe it's a guy straight out of a fairytale, someone who seems hardly real.

Could be Austin Ames, from a Cinderella Story...*so good*

Or perhaps, your perfect idea of Prince Charming is Flynn Rider: the one who sacrifices his own life for his princess.

Now we're getting somewhere.

For quite some time now, I've longed for my "prince charming". (6 years old, anyone?).

It all began with watching Sailor Moon find her prince...and from there, I was hooked.

There's something in us girls that just wants to be so fully loved, so fully wanted. I don't know about guys, but we girls all seem to have this in common: we're waiting for Prince Charming to come along and whisk us away to his castle in a far off land; we're waiting for that powerful love that takes our breath away. We're waiting for our very best friend in all the world; someone we can tell every little thought to...someone we can laugh with, cry with, be silent with, be talkative with, be silly with, be serious with.

We have this powerful desire. This feeling that there's a missing link, a missing puzzle piece and we're waiting to find it.

Well, I discovered not so very long ago, that yes, there is a missing link, a missing puzzle piece. Half of my heart truly was missing, and there is a God-given longing within me to find that other half.

But I won't find it in any man. No earthly prince will ever be able to wholly fill that emptiness within me.

You see, that emptiness, those missing pieces, that desire to love and be loved can only be filled by the one who made me; by the Prince that has already come, and has been waiting for me to find Him.

What greater love story is there?

Jesus came to this awful world, and took my place on the cross, so that he could have me for eternity. He doesn't give up on me. He doesn't walk away when things get hard, or when I disappoint him. He is incredibly patient with me, and listens to my ramblings, and is always there to pick me up. He protects me even when I don't know it. He passionately loves me in a way that is impossible for me to wrap my mind around. He is jealous for me.

The thing is, my head knows all of these things...but what of my heart?

See, I'm still learning. Though this faith isn't new to me, and I've known Christ for years now, my relationship with him has had infinite ups and downs. He is always constant, but I'm ridiculous when it comes to my side of the relationship. And as far as Prince Charming goes, let's be honest. My very human self longs for a man I can touch and hold, whose quirks I can learn, and whose face I can memorize.

*sigh*

But I am so grateful that God has protected me from men (sounds funny, eh?). I know with all my heart that were a man to enter my life right now, with my relationship with God the way it is, this man would quickly become as an idol in my life. He would come before the Lord in my life...I would worship the ground he walks on, and he would consume my thoughts.

I'm so thankful that God's timing is not the same thing as my timing. You've no idea.

I realize what a gift years of singleness are (and I'm definitely not old enough to be worrying about my single status, yet ;)) and I realize that I need to be using these years to the fullest, to really get to know and love the Lord with everything in me.

Because He is that missing piece of me...He is my real Prince who's already come and rescued me. And he rescues me daily. Hourly, even.

And one of these days, he's gonna come take me to his castle in the sky where we shall live happily ever after. ;)

Be encouraged, my girls. You are his beloved.