Flawed Expectations

I’m sure by now I’ve stressed enough the fact on how much I love Disney. I won’t take the time to divulge in it fully because I’d rather not bore you. We’d be here all night.

But I think there is a certain mindset that little girls learned from Disney films long ago, and now they aren’t so little any more: mainly, they are in college and searching for that special prince or true love’s kiss, as my mom and I jest.

Of course there is nothing wrong with a girl wanting to find that special guy; I’d say that’s fairly normal. And for me to say otherwise would be vastly hypocritical.

I think many a girl has grown up thinking that one day she is going to just bump into an extremely handsome guy, they’re going to fall in love instantly, he will proclaim his love within minutes, some bad person will try to bump one of them off, but true love will prevail, they will kiss at the end and they will live happily ever after.

But if there is one thing we have all learned, both guys and girls, is this: relationships are never that easy, and happily ever after is very cliché.

First, let’s talk about relationships. Relationships take effort on the part of both individuals. You have to be interesting and engaging, not just smart and pretty. Having a relationship with someone is not all about the makeup and the expensive clothing, although it is important to look nice.

Relationships are also not all about falling in love with someone because that is what you’ve dreamed about your entire life. It is about learning to serve that person in every situation that life throws at you—especially those hard times—all for God’s glory.

Speaking of the hard times, let’s move on to my second point: happily ever after is cliché. The typical Disney marriage is very fluffy and has a “frolicking through the fields of wonder” attitude. In reality, marriage is not like this at all. We all know from growing up in our own families that our parents had struggles, whether financial, physical, or just when taking care of you and your pesky siblings.

Life isn’t so simple. There are bills, children, jobs, extended family, church responsibilities, neighbors, the dog catcher, taxes, the trash pickup service, plumbing problems, and more. Life is full of stress and smiles are sometimes hard to come by. As Christians we’re called to trust God in every situation and find happiness through Him in our life’s problems, but that’s another topic for another time.

The point is, the typical Disney marriage relationship is all fluff and fairy tale. Granted we still love them because they’re just precious and hold a special place in our hearts (I can’t be the only one!), but as adults in search for that special someone we cannot have that expectation that it will be so simple. It is naïve to think that finding him or her and getting married will be such an easy task.

So instead of quoting Snow White’s “Someday My Prince Will Come”, send up a prayer to your heavenly Father to first of all be content in the gift of being single; second, ask Him to send you someone in His timing; and third, pray daily for that relationship to be honoring to Him long before it begins.