Confession of a Girly Dreamer

At the risk of making myself entirely vulnerable to judgmental laughter, I have a confession to make: I am, in many ways, a typical girl. *sigh* I know, I know… Shocker! The truth is I have spent way too much time daydreaming about the day that my “knight in shining armor” will “come to my rescue” and “sweep me off my feet.” Though I sarcastically kid about such things, in all honesty, such a scenario really does make my little heart smile. With every ounce of my femininity I long to be the desired princess who, despite her valiance, needs a noble prince to courageously come risk his life for her while defeating the ugly trolls and then effortlessly make her laugh as he lifts her onto his white steed and leads her to safety.

Of course that is not the exact scenario that would take place in these modern times but there are modern equations to such situations. In fact, they don’t need to be dramatic at all. It is often said that the little things in life matter most. I can’t argue with that. Knowing my mom's disdain for filling up her Malibu's gas tank, my dad keeps his eye on the gage and fills it up for her whenever it gets low. My loving daddy always unlocks and opens doors for my mom, sister, and me. He doesn’t have to but he chooses to because he is a gentleman showing honor to his ladies. My best buddy Joel always does the same. In addition to opening my doors, on our many walks together he makes sure that I’m on the inside of the sidewalk. If I ever end up on the outside he sweetly guides me to his other side without even interrupting the flow of conversation. Joel does this as a gentlemanly symbol. He isn’t worried that a car is going to drive too close to the sidewalk and run me over and he isn’t concerned that a car will run through a puddle and splash me. Still, keeping me inside is a way of saying “your safety is more important to me than mine.” As a lady, I notice these sorts of small, chivlarous gestures and I am deeply appreciative as my respect for the gentleman grows. These little acts of selflessness make me feel valuable and cause me to know that in dangerous circumstances I can trust these gentlemen to protect me from harm and lead me to safety.

Chivalrous acts do not make a man into a gentleman. Many a guy can open doors for girls and appear to be a gentleman when he is not. There is an authenticity to true gentlemen that true ladies detect. We know when a guy has selfish motives. Likewise, we know when a man’s tenderness is an outflow of the nobility within his heart. True gentlemen are not after self promotion, recognition, and approval. Rather, their motivation is to be a servant of the King, pouring their strength out for the least of this world. They are humble, disciplined, devoted, and fully reliant upon their King for strength. They desire to glorify Him with the nobility He provides to them.

Men like this are rare in every generation. This jaded world scoffs at ladies like me who encourage this kind of manhood and wait for this kind of man. The world’s expectations for masculinity are dreadfully low because we’re distracted by the norm. If it weren’t for the ordinary, there would be no such thing as extraordinary. I am happy to stand up and encourage extraordinary masculinity! Though I may be standing alone, I won’t give up and sit down.

Eventually youthful romance dies. As a couple ages, romance is shown in many ways that young girls don’t think to dream about. As much as I desire a gentleman who will show his selfless love by doing “the little things” now, I also want that same gentleman to show loving devotion to me in years to come whether I am healthy or helpless. I desire a gentleman who I will eagerly serve with a full heart both now and in years to come, no matter how pleasant or horrific the circumstances. Strength to be this kind of gentleman and lady comes only from the Lord.

So, as I daydream in girlish fashion about my “knight in shining armor” I ardently pray that he is daily surrendered to the Lord, relying upon His unfailing strength; and I smile in anticipation of our future life together when my girly dreams come true.


Sanctified and Surrendered by Caitlin Marie Stacy is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.