Adventure #8

On the radio station I listen to in the morning they had a spot about the 'Headline of your Heart'. They were talking about how everyone has something that consumes their thoughts or mind or is always on their heart. It changes throughout life, and some things last longer than others. Here are some examples: a mom getting ready to give birth; all she can think about is that baby, the nursery, the name, how the baby will look, etc... Or the new graduate looking for a job, always searching in newspapers or on the internet and going to interviews. Or even a family preparing for a trip...deciding on a destination, making reservations, booking excursions, buying and choosing what to pack. We all have something that we find ourselves thinking about on a daily basis. Right now, the headline of my heart is dating, and wow, has it been an adventure!

I decided that one thing I wanted to do was to truly date. This is really not in my nature, because I love being in a committed relationship, but it had been so long since I have dated, I thought it would be good to get out there and see what God could teach me. I decided to give one of the internet dating websites a try and I have been pleasantly surprised. I have probably been on 10+ dates and have not had a single bad experience, and I have learned so much! As a single mom, I feel that the internet dating was a great way to go. It's efficient and I am not wasting any time on guys that I don't have common interests with and connect with. I have also learned that I am getting very good at recognizing good fruit from bad fruit and very quickly too, which again is a time saver!

One of the things that surprised me was the fact that I can have a lot in common with someone, but have little connection with them in person. This seemed to come into play when I started looking at the spiritual side of the guy. At this age and place in my life, just saying I want a Christian mate is too general. There are Christian guys out there, but I am finding that their spiritual maturity along with their own personal circumstances plays a huge part into how much we can relate to each other.

When I first started this process I had a list a mile long of 'must haves' and as I have met different guys along the way I am starting to see that there are only a few key areas that I absolutely will not budge on. First and foremost, he must be a man, not a boy. You would think this would be a given considering I am dating guys in their 30's, but sadly, most guys are still boys and have yet to step into being a true man, the way God created them. I saw a quote once that read: 'Good men have character like God's character. Godly men have character that IS God's character' That sums it up for me in the boy vs. man category. I feel like a true man will know three things: He knows what he wants, he knows how to love, and he knows how to lead.

I'm not sure if this season in my life is to find a mate or just to pinpoint what exactly I desire in my next mate, but the adventure has been fun and the lessons, I know, will prove to be invaluable.