Catch Me If You Can Pt.1

In the tumultuous world of dating and courtship, finding one's soulmate can often feel like a game of "Catch me if you can." It's a journey filled with anticipation, uncertainty, and hope as a woman waits to discover the one person destined to be her life partner, a connection guided by a higher purpose. The pursuit of love often begins with dating, where individuals meet and get to know one another. It's a phase marked by excitement and uncertainty, akin to the cat-and-mouse chase portrayed in the movie "Catch Me If You Can." In the dating world, women often have to navigate through a maze of potential partners, each with their own unique qualities and flaws.

 During this dating phase, women may encounter various suitors, each representing different aspects of what they desire in a partner. It's like trying to piece together a puzzle, finding the missing piece that fits perfectly. This process can be both thrilling and challenging as they evaluate compatibility and shared values.

 As the dating journey progresses, some remain dating with a cautionary yellow tape at a crime scene or other relationships may transition into courtship. Dating can become a pool of dismantle acts of feeling of not being wanted or valued. In comparison, courtship brings a deeper level of commitment and intentionality in the pursuit of God's purpose. It's not merely about catching someone's attention but about discovering if your hearts are aligned in faith, values, and life goals.

Courtship is a phase marked by open communication, prayer, and seeking guidance from God. In the movie "Catch Me If You Can," the protagonist uses his wit and charm to elude capture, but in courtship, the woman, and her soul mate work together to capture the essence of a loving, God-centered relationship.

While waiting for the right person to enter your life, a woman may experience moments of doubt, impatience, and loss of self-being. She might wonder if her soul mate will ever appear or if she's destined to keep playing this romantic game.

Now the word “waiting” does not mean that you are sitting around twiddling your thumbs or clicking your shoe heel simulating the scene of Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz and thinking it would magically happen.  It will happen when you do your part in God's way.

We all know or most of us are familiar with the Proverbs 31 women, if you don’t, then I encourage you to read it in different commentaries as well.  The commentary from the ESV Study Bible regarding Proverbs 31 tells us that the ideal woman is virtuous, strong, and selfless. She does not wait to be served but rises early, even before sunrise, to delegate tasks and engage in business.

 She possesses “a range of manual, commercial, administrative, and interpersonal skills.” This woman “opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy”. She is loving, dignified, and her virtues increase her husband’s reputation: “Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land”. I will reflect on this later in the paragraphs below.

 She is sharp but honest, engaged in business for prestige that fits her household. Above all, she fears the Lord for “a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. A woman who fears the Lord will not run away from God to satisfy her longings and relieve her anxieties. She will wait for the Lord. She will hope in God. She will stay close to the heart of God and trust in his promises.

 With God as your guiding source, you will have clarity on the decisions you make, how you live your life, and the words you choose. Ultimately, cultivating a Godly life on the eternal truth of God and not the temporary and fleeting distractions of this world.  You may say, there is no way I can be a Proverbs 31 women, too many demands, I am a woman, not a domesticated one, I don’t have time to be serving someone else, they should be serving me, I work hard, long hours, taking care of the kids all alone, etcetera, etcetera and besides this passage relates to a married woman, blah, blah; blah; au contraire we especially as single woman should ascribe to be such a woman. We carry many, if not, all those traits.

 This woman is not born that way; she gets there by a process of refinement, which is a work of the Holy Spirit. A woman that yearns to please God strives to be like this ideal example. Single women! We just have to learn how to harness and cultivate these attributes. We have to be so busy preparing ourselves that a mate has to be a divine interruption in the very fabric of your life. 

 Now, I also want to bring to light how you are doing your part as it relates to the verse “Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land.” Conducting yourself can either bring shame or glory to your future mate before and after you both encounter each other.  Maintaining a good reputation so that he can pursue his higher calling among men without fear or shame. This, in my opinion, is monumental. The role of the wife of noble character, in many ways, is summed up in this phrase. When a husband does not have to worry about his wife, her conduct, how the children and the home are being managed so he can be free to focus his mind on his family, ministries, and work. The respect of your future husband should be one that is respected by other men and not a hindrance of how your public or private life would bring him disgrace or embarrassment prior to him meeting you. Your influence for good extends to him also. Having no domestic anxieties, he is set free to do his part in public life. A wife's role is to be the perfect partner for her husband.

 Now, it may not happen the way you expect it to; however, God with His infinite wisdom knows the perfect time, divine connections to orchestrate that which is pleasing to you and purposeful to His will.  You’re waiting on Mr. Right should consist of serving and being about God’s business. It should mimic your attendance at a restaurant and the waiter/server approaches you, takes your order and serves you. So, your waiting should be that of yourself pleasing and acceptable unto God, doing His will and serving him in the capacity for which He has created and instructed you to. One of my mantras is my five (5) P’s is proper planning, present, perfect presentation.

 In contrast, it often irks me when I know of women who want to take up the elm in going from pillar to post in pursuit of a man and forsaking the words of God. In Proverbs 18:22. It says, “He who finds a wife finds a good thing.  And obtains favor from the Lord” (NKJV).  A man cannot attain anything better than a good wife.  It portrays an excellent wife as valuable and trustworthy.  Favor means God stepping into one's situation to make a worthwhile difference. Favor is the highway to connect your destiny. In Psalms 84:11 (ESV), For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.” When you are connected to favor, you are connected to good and grace. Single ladies, why would one not want to be connected with a man who finds favor instead of foe.

Stay tuned for next months Part two of our three part series……

Carline J. Bido, 

"Building a community for Better Living"