THE GIRL OF MY DREAMS?

BY ZACH BUTTOLPH

I must have been just nine or ten when I awoke one morning from a most amazing dream. I had been exploring a dreamland and met a young princess in a tall castle who looked angelic, alluring, and had a captivatingly fun sense of adventure. We talked and played and had the greatest time together. It was something that I had never experienced in real life up to that point. When I awoke, I was distraught and heavy-hearted. I felt I'd lost a very real, very special connection with the girl of, well, my dreams. I remember wondering if I would ever find someone who made me feel that way in real life.

Although many books and movies lead us to believe that all little girls dream of falling in love with a handsome prince, it is a lesser–known fact that little boys yearn to meet a special someone, too. After all, is there anything better than finally finding the person who makes you feel like a little kid on Christmas morning, the person who lights up your life like a barrage of fireworks across the night sky?

God has a perfect plan for each and every one of His children. That marvelous treasure of love, though, is sometimes like treasure buried beneath sand. Sand—in this analogy, distorted and false concepts of what real love looks and feels like—may cover up and try to keep us from finding a special someone whose presence illustrates God's blessings for us. People sometimes enter into relationships that lack loyalty and a reciprocated feeling of joy. The idea that happiness and pleasure result from the material senses tries to lure some of us into relationships that plant seeds of doubt or selfishness in our minds, such as, "I have to stay with him/her; I could never find anyone better" or, "We're not right for each other, but I'm going to stick with this relationship—after all, he/she is so cute." Desperation, lust, or uncertainty can sometimes keep people in relationships that they know in their hearts aren't the selfless, rewarding, and lasting ones that comprise a truly loving companionship.

About the author

Zach Buttolph graduated from Principia College in June 2010 with a degree in political science. He is currently living and working in St. Louis, Missouri, and plans to enter the Air Force.

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