“Maggie!” he called, and slowly jogged toward us.
His mixed black lab-ish dog had found her way to Paris and was eagerly running circles around both her and my Pekingese.
Like his exuberant pet, he, too, was friendly. His smile was warm, and his voice welcoming. I was attracted to him almost instantly.
We walked down to the lake and watched as our frantic pets frolicked through the water, chasing each other and the other dogs through the mud and then back into the lake. We laughed and it was easy being near him.
And then, I did it.
I walked away.
Sometimes honoring God isn’t always what you want to do—I’d argue that a lot of times, it’s the exact opposite of what you want to do.
In this case, me honoring God was simply resisting the urge to stay. To stay and get to know him. To stay and want him to ask me for my number. To stay and start something that, one, would be breaking my fast, and, two, starting something that shouldn't be started, because chances are he wasn’t a believer.
I walked away from a handsome, charismatic, dog loving guy…because God said so.
I heard Him through the leaves, You don’t want anything less than what I’ll give you.
And I was reminded of what I truly want and for what I am willing to withhold myself.
A leader. Someone who makes me laugh. Someone who’s willing to dance even if he doesn’t know the steps. And a man who makes conversation with anyone—not for popularity’s sake, but for the sake of souls.
I can’t say that I have a type, but I do know to what type of man I am attracted. He has a heart wiling to make light of a situation when it calls for it. To make me laugh, to laugh with me, and even to laugh at me sometimes. Laughter is important.
A man who dances even though he can’t—that says more than words. It says he came to have a good time, and he’s comfortable with who he is, and that’s priceless.
When I marry a man, I need him to be as passionate about saving souls as me, and the way to do this is through connection. I don’t notice the man who goes to a party and sits quietly by himself. I notice the man who walks into a room full of people he doesn’t know and begins making conversation with strangers. When we pursue those of the world, God’s children, he is going to have to be the man who is willing and eager to approach the unsaved. I can’t be stronger than my husband in this respect, because I won’t feel as if we’re a team.
And I need a leader for this team—someone who has invested his life and his soul in The Word of God. Someone who knows what he’s doing biblically and possesses sound theology. Someone I can look up to and rely on to lead me closer to God.
So that’s it. My four non-negotiables. That’s all I’ve come up with.
And that’s enough to keep me moving on from the “less thans” and parallel to God’s will for me.
This train has been trucking for 10 months. Two to go, and I’ve come too far to stop now for a nice smile and a dog named Maggie.
Sorry, Mags. Better luck next time. I got a challenge to finish and God to pursue.
