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Hi Ladies,

Congratulations – Your man is happy and proud to show you off! You’re his lady, and not the closet gal.  This is as it should be, and may indicate that he’s a “keeper”.  It’s #8 on the checklist of 12 Ways to Know He’s Right for You  – He takes you to meet his parents and friends!

If you’re awaiting the arrival of your mate, and wondering if he will ever come at all, you know the reality of God’s timetable. Each of us follows His schedule and not our own, so unfortunately I can’t provide foolproof ways to make your fellow arrive faster. But I truly believe that if you are sincerely ready, have a strong relationship with Our Father, and are prayerful about your request, then God has heard you and your answer is on his way.  In the meantime, we’ll continue to explore the list of criteria which indicate that the man you may already be considering is God’s choice for your spouse.

CHAMPION

When a fellow selects us as his own, as females, we automatically assume there’s a level of caring, love, and protection that he is willing to provide. We expect him to be ours, and to be our Champion.  Our Father has implanted this need within us, and it is an essential trait to seek in a godly mate.

Starting way back when we were little girls, we are naturally responsive to the oppositeness and strength inherent in men.  God Himself designed us to respond this way, to prize his muscular physique, and his deep, rich voice, to admire his brains and his brawn.  And no matter the actual physical dimensions of our man, we value his maleness, just as he values our femininity.  As women we desire a champion, and when we marry, he’s the one.

Dictionary.com defines “Champion” as “a person who fights for another or for a cause; defender, protector, supporter.”  We expect and need our husband, the man who has selected us above all others, to value us.  We want him to protect and defend us, love us, and take on and fend off the world for us.  Even if we don’t need him to do this literally, on a psychological and emotional level, we crave this attitude in our chosen guy.  And no matter how sweet and protective he may be as a boyfriend, this responsibility as a Champion is not part of courtship, but it becomes the mantle of a husband.

One of the deepest of marital wounds occurs when a husband shirks the responsibility to champion his wife.  A man who ceases to prize her, who declines responsibility as her protector and supporter will cause a wife to feel emotionally abandoned, left to face hurt, angers and frustrations alone.  This is not what God intended for marriage.

In His design, the husband forms an umbrella of protection for his wife and family. When sheltered under his headship, the attacks of the world and of Satan will fall around them, unable to breach the boundaries of safety that his caring provides.  He, in turn, under God’s direct leadership, can function capably as head of his household.

With this in mind, take a close look at your fellow. How does he treat you?  Do his parents and friends know your name?  Has he brought you to meet them, crossing the invisible divide between your being a girlfriend and a potential love?  No woman should settle for a man who doesn’t, in the words of many marriage vows, “love, honor and cherish” her, and I’ll add, “And show her off!”

He is to be your Champion, a “strong tower”… (Psalm 61: 3 – “For thou hast been a shelter for me and a strong tower from the enemy”), and his willingness to protect and care for you is something you must never compromise on.  Such commitment indicates real love…it cannot be manufactured or faked, and without it a key ingredient of your marriage will be missing and you’ll never be a truly joyful wife.  Don’t wish and hope…pray, watch, and see how he feels by how he acts!

Until next week – Joy and Shalom!