Lover of My Soul

God wants all of me.  He wants all of you.  We don't have any leeway to compartmentalize our relationship with God.  Perhaps it's the stage of life that I am in right now, but in my heart has been a desire for that "significant other" that's gotten my heart weary.  I know, it's a very normal thing for a guy my age to desire a girlfriend, the "significant other."  But to know that God wants every single part of my life, even my romantic desires of my heart.  Understand, our relationship with God IS NOT compartmentalized.  We can't just give Him certain things that we're comfortable with Him having.  Even that desire for your prince charming/princess of your dreams is something you must give over to the Lord.  This is where I'm at; in my heart, I've given all to the Lord, except for that.  The romantic desires of my heart, I have not surrendered, thinking that it wouldn't be God to answer them, that "obviously" it was going to be my future wife's role.  First off, that's heavy expectations for whomever God places in my path.  Second, it's not their job to fulfill my needs, ultimately that is all up to God otherwise my relationship with the girl of my dreams will be all about "gimme, gimme, gimme."  Selfishness is the number 1 killer of relationships. 
     For women, Maya Angelou said it best: "A woman's heart should be so lost in God that a man has to seek Him to find her."  I think that's so true.  For anybody, they must be most in love with their God than with their spouse.  I know for me, if I don't love Jesus more than you, I'm in trouble.  When I'm most in love with Jesus, my priorities are straight, and I have a proper vantage point and am able to see things in His light.  Obviously, being a guy I cannot begin to fathom the inner workings of a ladies mind.  What I do know, is that they're much more relational than men, and their desire is to be appreciated of, to be protected and to know that their prince will go through all lengths to provide for them, and to love them.  (If I'm wrong, please chime in, always in for learning more.)  Ultimately, Jesus is their Perfect Prince.  Jesus already went to great lengths to show His great love and affection for you, dear women.  He went to death and back just to win your heart.  Your Prince Charming loves you more than any man on this earth and accepts you for all that you are.  You don't need to pretty yourself up, try to "improve" yourself when God is already looking at you and saying, "How beautiful!"  All that you are is all that He loves.  The way you are right now is no accident and the He says, "Don't change who you are, because who you are is how I made you to discover Me."  If ever you wanted and needed somebody to accept you for all that you are, it's Jesus. 
     For the men, we're more physical creatures, yes. But the desire is similar to woman's.  We desire (or maybe, I should put I and just assume you all know that I'm talking about men collective as a whole and that deep in the heart of man, this is true, regardless if they show it or not) companionship.  We long for somebody to be by our side and to stick it along with us through thick and thing.  We may have our brothers by blood or by friendship who do this, but nothing compares to the love or companionship of a woman in that regard.  However, ultimately, the One who desires our hearts, who went to hell and back just to win our hearts.  Your heart.  The reason He endured all of the beating and all of the pain?  The face in your mirror.  Gentlemen, can I stress it enough that we need to be more in love with our Savior than with the princess He brings into our lives?  This is something that I'm still processing in.  God wants all of us.  ALL of us.  There's no room for compartmentalizing.  We can't put our romantic feelings in a box and say that "this is for the woman of my dreams to fulfill, not You, Lord."  You can't expect her to fulfill your needs because she's not God, the One who created your needs.  She can be used by God to fulfill a need in your life, such as companionship, but even that is ultimately found in the Lord.  He never leaves us nor forsakes us.
     As much as my desire for the princess God has for me, my desire must be, most of all, for my Savior.  For I must seek Him to find her.  And to this I say:  take ALL of me, Lord.  My desire for that dream girl You have for me, and fulfill everything that I am.  Complete me Lord, because it's not two halves becoming one person, it's two becoming one, just as You say in Your word.  May I seek You and love You more.  You are the lover of my soul.