It was pointed out to me recently, that I am from another time. I found that amusing. I mean, which one? I have an Apple computer, Apple TV, iPad, and an iPhone. I am on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. I shop online more than in brick and mortar stores. I shop Etsy, and spend way too much time on Pinterest. I gave up my home phone years ago. My chickens have a webcam. Seriously, they do. And having chickens is very organic and now. I can talk on my phone through my car, and I can ask my phone to unlock my front door. And yet, still, I am from another time.

So how did this come up then? Part of what God has called me to do during this season of my life is to invest in younger women. They come to me even when I am not looking for them, and I love it. Several years ago, I told the Lord, “If I could just get to them before they make those big mistakes, you know the ones, Lord. The ones that cause them hurt and regret for a long time. I could help them. I could teach them.” Eventually, the Lord said, “Okay.”

It was one of these younger women who told me I was from another time. Well it was a friend of hers who said it, and as I said, I was amused. This young friend of mine is single and wants to be married, she hears the clock ticking, but she wants to wait for the man God has picked out for her. She has some pretty high standards. I think it’s great, and I told her so, and I encouraged her to stand her ground in these things.

My friend wants her future mate to love Jesus. She wants him to lead her spiritually. She wants him to, well, be a man. She wants to be swept off her feet and cherished. Sounds pretty awesome, doesn’t it? I think so, too. This outdated view that I avow and encourage, along with my age :), apparently, is what makes me from another time.

My young friend hears again and again from her cohorts that those kinds of men aren’t out there anymore. I hear this a lot, too. “A good man is hard to find”. I have some news for these young women… good men have always been hard to find! There have always been more frogs than princes. So does that free us up to lower our standards just so that we aren’t living alone and lonely? There are worse things than that, my dears.

I look at this smart, young woman and I know this truth. She is the blessed daughter of the Most High King. What kind of king would give his daughter to someone unworthy of her? Just because qualified suitors are not a dime a dozen doesn’t mean that she should settle. If she is called according to her Father’s purpose, then shouldn’t she have the desires of her heart? Isn’t her Father able to bring forth the right bridegroom at the right time?

The world shouts louder. The inclination to give in to its noise is strong. But the world will sell us a bill of goods and laugh at us all the way to the bank. Scripture is pretty clear with regard to how men and women are to behave, and scripture is timeless. It is relevant no matter what time we are from. It may not be the loudest voice, but it is true, and still sharper than any two edged sword.

I know for certain that there are young men out there who love God and follow after Jesus. How can I know this? Well, I’m raising three of my own. I would have had more, but my uterus is worn slap out. Alas, my boys are a bit too young for most of my young female friends, but I am taking applications from any slightly younger women in their early twenties who would love to meet a handsome, educated, talented, God chasing young man. (You’d think my sons would abhor this kind of open pandering, but believe it or not, neither is it easy for a young man to find young a woman today who loves Jesus and is following after Him. After all, Proverbs 31 says, “A wife of noble character, who can find?”)

Maybe I am from another time, because these days I’m thinking I really like the idea of arranged marriages… do feel free to attach resumes in the comments section…I’m joking. Sort of.

The best advice I have heard for young women searching for a mate is this. Keep running your race. (The one marked out for you by God) If you’re running and someone manages to keep up, introduce yourself, and there you’ll have him. Your mate is not the prize, Jesus is. Your mate doesn’t complete you, Jesus does. Stop looking for a prize that completes you. Look to Jesus. Keep running. Once in a while look over and see who’s running with you. I promise, you are not running alone.