Since my childhood, the idea of being swept off my feet and carried away into the sunset on a horse set in the direction of a large, ostentatious castle has seemed like the ultimate #LifeGoal. And generally, the princesses we see in the movies have no trouble finding exactly the right man to complement them, or they don't have a man at all (see Merida and Elsa). But in this day in age, finding that perfect of a guy seems just unrealistic. I may be just a teenager, but I realize that finding true love requires more than a heroic rescue, royal title, or handsome face.
To do this right, let's start out by examining my personal favorite Disney prince: Flynn Rider, or as we true fans know him, Eugene Fitzherbert.
Okay so first thing's first. This is the most attractive cartoon character any of us have ever seen, and I remember sitting in the theater when I saw Tangled for the first time and thinking to myself, "Wow. This Flynn guy may be giving my boy Peter Pan a run for his money!" We all love Eugene! He's gorgeous, he's goofy and hilarious, he's a reformed character, he questions the fact that all the other characters randomly break out in song, and most of all, his relationship with Rapunzel makes all our little hearts flutter. AND BONUS, he sacrifices his own life (spoilers!) so that Rapunzel doesn't have to.
But sadly, not all guys can be Flynn Rider.
The biggest thing about Disney beaus that makes them so great is their innocence. It seems that there just simply aren't many respectable, respectful, caring, I-would-literally-die-for-you guys in this day and age.
And then there is that one standard that not even the Disney princes can meet, a faith in God that's stronger than even Gaston's biceps.
One of my favorite excerpts about Godly men in the Bible is in 1 Timothy 3, the Qualifications of Overseers and Deacons. Though these are written as guidelines for leaders in the Church, I believe these should also be standards for the men we starry-eyed girls are looking for. Let's take a look.
Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect... He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil's trap.
How often do we see examples of men like this, who love God so much, and hold themselves and others in such respect? Not very often. The tendency is to think, "Guys like this just don't exist!" and settle for less. But that is so not true.
The moment you compromise your standards is the moment you begin to lose the fight.
Our society tells us that all love takes is an attractive enough guy and girl to like each other. Once girls grow out of Disney, the "princes" they look to to set their standards begin to look more like this...
That's Justin Bieber, but I'm sure you knew that. He's so cute, right? Yeah. This is a mugshot, by the way. The sad, sad truth is that arrests, drug use, etc. aren't enough to keep girls from idolizing this guy and others like him! When did we transition from the prince standard to... this?
I challenge every girl out there to rethink what makes a Godly man.
God has a plan for all of us. I truly believe that He still makes men who love Him and have pure hearts. It's up to us to keep the faith and wait it out for the right guys. And even after all this, who says we need to get married anyway? If I never end up finding my Prince Charming, you better believe I'll still keep my heart in Jesus and embrace the fact that nostalgia is always just a Disney movie away.