“He must be tall, handsome, good looking, sweet, understanding, loving, rich, intelligent and a sweetheart.” This seems to be the kind of a checklist many girls have of their perfect guy, and an almost similar list is a set of expectations from many young men in our generation.
However, as a child of God, I want to share with you some of the realistic expectations one should have from a prospective alliance.
1. A ‘God First’ Person
First and foremost, your future spouse must fear the Lord. It is in that reverence to who God is, that your house can be built strong. If that young man/lady does not love God, chances are that he/she does not have the principles that the Word of God lays to have a happy married life.
If your future spouse would honour God over money, vocation, friends & family etc, you can rest assured that he/she would do the same to the God-ordained sanctity of marital commitment to you. Not only would he/she keep you the closest to their heart, he/she will draw you close to Jesus.
2. Passionate About Prayer and God’s Word
Find out if the person enjoys and reads God’s Word regularly. God’s Word, the Bible, is the lamp unto our feet. It is the Bible that teaches the husband to love the wife like how Jesus loved the Church by dying for the Church, and it is only the Bible that teaches wives to selflessly love her husband. This, combined with a habit to pray, is the most dynamic habit you should hope for, desire and expect in your partner to-be.
3. Heart Matters
It really doesn’t matter what figure salary one receives but it does matter if he/she is hard working. It doesn’t matter how sweet that person is to you, if he/she won’t treat others around you respectfully, then probably there’s a deeper issue.
The biggest key is to have a learning heart. An arrogant heart shuts change. [ClickToTweet]
I am sure when Tiny married me, I came across many areas in my life where I had to change. I had to learn to unlearn my bachelor ways.
Don’t expect a perfect partner. Just look for a partner characterised by the fruit of the Holy Spirit, with a heart filled with love, joy and peace. This is the greatest blessing in marriage.