I was scrolling Pinterest for funny quotes on singleness, when I came across a meme which read "shout out to the single women that complain about being single but never go out, I guess Mr Right gonna break into yo' house then". Well, wouldn't that be marvellous, I thought. Except if "Mr Right" were to break into my home, it was only because his intention was to pilfer my valuables, and not to propose to me.
My idea of Mr Right was along the lines of Ryan Gosling in the thriller Fracture. Didn't Gosling just look so dapper as a lawyer? I definitely would not mind a guy like Shia LaBeouf, all expensive suits and mega-watt smiles, in Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.
I also had a long list of personality traits of what my Mr Right would possess—smart, funny, caring, sensitive, and he must like travelling. It did not matter if Mr Right was a Christian, as long as he respected my religion.
Do not be unequally yoked
I pooh-poohed at the verse "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?" 2 Corinthians chapter 6, verse 14.I patted myself on my back for being an "open minded Christian".
One day, God said to me, "The man you bring home to introduce to your dad, you'd want them to know him, enjoy his company, and love him as they would their own father, right?"
"Obviously. Why would I want to date a man who does not want to have anything to do with my dad," I said.
"So why would you date someone who would not want anything to do with me?" He said.
Know them by their fruit
Finding Mr Christian turned out to be more challenging than I had first thought, and the young men who professed a faith in Jesus "were only calling him 'Lord, Lord', but were not doing what He had asked them." – Luke chapter 6, verse 46. One of these guys started sending me nasty text messages when he realised we were just going to be friends, but yet, he professed to be a Christian.
It is not enough to go out with a man who wears the Christian label, you must know them "by their fruits, you will recognise them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles" – Matthew chapter 7, verse 16.
I have met non-Christian guys who were many, many times kinder than Christian men, and I would die a little inside thinking, "Why, oh, why! I dislike this whole Christian thing". It is sometimes tempting to overlook their flaws, and to blindly continue in a relationship, because hey, it is better than being alone, right?
Yet I could not back track to my old ways because I did not want to compromise my relationship with God. And, as my wise youth pastor pointed out, "Mr Right does not exist, neither do soulmates".
So, what one really ought to seek is a Mr Right Before God. Find someone who fears the Lord, because out of his love for God, character traits like love, generosity, kindness, and forgiveness, will flow.
After all, if he loves God, he would be able to faithfully follow this command: "husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her" – Ephesians chapter 5, verse 25
Which girl does not want a husband who loves her the way Jesus loves her, safe in his protection, security, love, and let's not forget the part where he laid his life down for you.
Sign me up any day.
Michele Ong is a former regional news journalist with a passion to be a voice for the marginalised and disenfranchised. Writing is as essential to her as breathing, and believes words contain life which is to be used to inspire, inform and influence readers. Michele attends Auckland's City Impact Church with her family on the North Shore.
Michele Ong's previous articles may be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/michele-ong.html