Accepting Our BIG Reality

FINDING FULFILLMENT, Part 2 of 5

We live in a broken world.

Every woman wants to experience feeling loved, valued, and cherished.

Special.

For many, that means feeling like a princess.

God designed us to feel that way. To have those needs met. Fulfilled. Running over.

But is a man really the answer? Are we expecting too much from another human being, no matter how wonderful he may be?

If you’re married, you may sometimes feel like you’re living with Al Bundy instead of the guy on the white horse.

If you’re single, Sir Charming just hasn’t shown up yet.

Whether married or single, we all carry around some sort of expectations about what a man can or should do to meet our deepest emotional, physical, and spiritual needs. When those needs aren’t met, it’s easy for us to be influenced by the lies of our world. They tell us the right man will make us feel the way we desire to feel.

Believing those lies only intensifies the discomfort and pain of our unmet needs. 

Sometimes that discomfort leads us into temptations and resulting decisions that aren’t the best choices for our lives—choices that are less than God’s best for us.

THE BIG REALITY: The world is not perfect—it’s “broken”— therefore we are not relationally perfect.

There are numerous realities that mar God’s plan for satisfying relationships. 

First and foremost, we are fallen people in a fallen world.

We are prone to selfishness. We are inclined toward figuring out things for ourselves rather than trusting in the Creator Who knows us better than we know ourselves. And that’s only the beginning.

There are other realities that impact our lives—disappointments, old baggage, and struggles we’re afraid to talk about.

And facing our realities is the first step in finding genuine fulfillment.

(You can find more in-depth discussions, answers, and worksheets in Dee’s book, The Divine Romance—Going to God with the Longings Only He Can Fulfill.)

Next Time: Facing Our Realities 

What do you think?

Single or married, what expectations for romance and relational satisfaction did you have/do you have for marriage? 

How have those expectations been challenged within a real relationship?