You Don't Want Prince Charming!

Ah, Prince Charming.  Pretty amazing fellow, isn't he?  Just when all hope seems lost, and the damsel is going to be subject to a life of dreary pain and suffering forever, in swoops our hero.  Clad in fine looking clothes, riding his majestic steed, and of course, terribly handsome.  And so, after experiencing love at first sight, the two ride off into the sunset to a wonderful life filled only with love and happiness.

  Totally realistic, right?

Besides the fair tale factor, there are a lot of things in this mindset that are wrong; and most of them we don't even notice.  For example:

  First Off, Who is This Guy Anyway?
           Think about it.  Let's start with the very first Disney prince: Snow White's hero.  Ahh, yup.  He meets all the Prince Charming requirements: Handsome (That's number one, of course,) strong, nice clothes, and a horse.  Add a bit of charmingly romantic good timing (he shows up at the well, he shows up just in time to kiss her, etc) and he is a complete package!

 

   But, if you stop and think about it, those are all outside things.  Anyone can dress nicely, or ride a horse.  And there certainly isn't a low on good looking guys.  So, what makes him the "perfect" one?  What if Snow White rode off with him only to find out that he is a tyrant who cares nothing of the well fair of his kingdom.  What is he is a lazy bum who is content to do nothing with his life?  What are his traits?  Is he honest?  Does he have a bad temper?  None of these questions ever get answered.  

    But hey, he has a nice smile.

~ ~ ~

 

  Once You Get Married, All The Work Disappears...Right?

        Oh, how about Cinderella's man?  Here she is living a dreary life of work and chores and no fun.  But then she went dancing.  Ah yes, that is definitely the best way to choose your spouse.  And talking is overrated too.  Why do you need to exchange names when you can gaze into each others eyes?

    

 

  But, while my point about Snow White's prince applies here too, there is something else here.  Before Prince Charming saved the day, all Cinderella did was work.  But now, work is all behind her, right?  Well, is work all that bad?  Yes, Cinderella was overworked, but yet married life isn't a cakewalk either.  So the view point that after you get married you will never wash another dish or scrub another floor is waaay off.  In reality, once married you will probably end up doing more work, and this becomes especially true when children come.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

     Why Think Logically When You Can Have Love At First Sight?

     And finally, Aurora steps in.  Her prince at least has a real name, but Charming applies to his personality more then all the other princes combined.  Finding a beautiful girl in the woods singing to herself, and then joining in and sweeping her off her feet, literally?  Mega Charming points.  End your very first encounter gazing out at the sun with your arms around each other talking softly?  Oh boy, can you get any more romantic?

  But, quickly, this raises problems.  Both of them are supposed to already be marrying someone.  But, you just had an "always-true" love at first sight experience.  And your very first, heart thumping, sigh-worthy, sight of "the one" couldn't be wrong.  No way.  All those sudden emotions are all completely trust-worthy.  

   Right?  

~ ~ ~ ~

    See, when you really think about it, often choices that these characters make could turn out bad, but because it's a story, of course that doesn't happen.  But, that doesn't always happen in real life. ;)  Especially as we all get older, it is important to keep some things in mind before throwing ourselves into relationships.

  1.  Things Aren't Always What They Seem

        Charm is deceptive.  Anyone can be charming if they want to be.  If someone wants to fool you into liking them, they can turn on the charm and make it seem like they are such great people.  But, it is their walk with the LORD, and their virtues that matter.  One who is handsome and gives you lot of attention may seem worth going after, but only someone who strives to live for the LORD and to please Him is truly worth your time.  Now, I'm not saying you shouldn't trust anyone, and judge their every move.  I'm simply pointing out that anyone who wishes to have more than just a friendship should be someone who is following the LORD.

  

  2.  Sudden Bursts of Emotion Cannot Always Be Trusted

       Our emotions can change so quickly and they change often.  It is easy to base decisions, some rather important, on our emotions at that second.  While emotions are not bad, and can even be very good, we still need to be careful not to rely on them too much as reasons for making big decisions.  I plan on doing a blog post about this in the near future. =)

  3. Hard Work is Not a Bad Thing, and Marriage Will Be Hard

      Obviously I haven't had a ton of experience being married ;) but still I want us to be careful, especially as we grow older and the possibility of marriage become closer, that we don't think of marriage as a "way out."  Being married, raising children, and running a household is hard.  The LORD did not promise us an easy life, even if we don't get married.  Even if we never have children.  But, no matter how hard this life gets, we can still be used by the LORD in marvelous ways.  I can't wait to see how He uses me.

~Jessica

*Disclaimer: By using the Disney Princess examples, I was in no way saying that Disney movies are bad.  I personally love Disney princesses.  I was simply using them as a story example.*