Special Guest Post - By Nathan Britton

Dear Katrina,

You now know me quite a bit more than you did on the first occasion that I wrote you a letter. It has been three months to the day since we first met each other in that bustling Panera Bread on a warm and sunny January day. I’ve had three months filled to the brim with delightful hours spent with my darling, the girl that I love. On this special day I would like to pen a short explanation of the journey that the Lord has allowed me to travel on my search for you. Specifically, why I chose you! Hopefully it will be an encouragement to others along the way.

When I reached the age when one starts to seriously consider marriage (that age was around the twentieth year of life for me), I often wondered how I would ever find a wife, and, further, if God had a specific wife picked out just for me. This surely is a question that many have debated over the years, and I don’t wish to open up old arguments. Nevertheless, it truly was something I wondered. This curiosity of mine grew as I continued to have birthdays without much glimpse of hope that a significant young lady would ever be in my life. I continued thinking, “Where is she, Lord?”

Through this whole process I continued to grow in my understanding as I immersed myself in the study of God’s Word. Finally, after much study and pondering, it became clear that (at least from our human perspective) God did not have a specific person for me to marry. Rather, instead of searching for a specific woman, I should be searching for specific character manifested in a woman’s life. That meant that I did not have to worry about finding “the right woman for me.” Instead, it was a right woman for whom I should search. Now, certainly God is at work causing all things to work to the good pleasure of His will. That is a truth I will not deny. Yet, that good pleasure is a perspective which I have no access to except through His Holy Word as penned by the Apostles and Prophets. However, this I do know, God’s character, as described in the Bible (e.g. Exodus 34:6-7) ought to be everywhere displayed. And any woman who displays such character is one worthy of great pursuit. That is because one of mankind’s main purposes is to spread the image of God—which is summed up in the character of God—through one flesh, husband and wife relationships (Genesis 1:26-28; 2:24).

Proverbs 31:10 asks, “Who can find a virtuous woman?” A great question! Trust me, it’s not easy! Yet, Boaz did! It is interesting that in the Hebrew Bible, the book of Ruth comes right after Proverbs 31. The reason such a fact is so interesting is because Boaz pronounces to Ruth that “all the city of my people doth know that thou are a virtuous woman” (Ruth 3:11). The same Hebrew word is used to describe the Proverbs 31 woman as is used to describe Ruth! And, by the way, the word, “virtuous,” is talking about the character of a person. Ruth had good character because she obediently lived in such a way that the image of God was displayed in her life. I encourage each woman reading this to discover God’s character as displayed in His Word and seek to display it in your life. I promise you, there is nothing more attractive to a man with Godly character than a woman with Godly character. Neither looks, nor material possessions hold an ounce of water to character! Never forget that fact when you make decisions about how you will live your life.

I didn’t know if I would ever find “my Ruth.” In fact, there were only a few young eligible women I had ever met with this character for which I was searching. Sometimes I wondered if my search was hopeless… but oh, was I ever wrong!

From the moment I met Katrina three months ago, I knew that she was a woman of character. Does that mean that she is perfect? No (though pretty close! ;), and nor am I by any stretch of the imagination. However, that does mean that she is faithful to the Word of God and she displays the image of God by her character. She is kind, compassionate, loving, full of mercy, and judges situations and decisions based on what God considers good in His Word rather than on “human wisdom” or stupidity (as often is the case). Every second more that I observed Katrina, I fell more and more in love with her because of her character. If I may say so, her character is hot stuff!! ;) She is beautiful, has a great personality, is funny, very intelligent, and driven, all of which I love, but none of it compares to the attractiveness of her character.

Let this be an encouragement to you today to live uprightly and in line with the character of God. Nothing is more pleasing to God and more attractive to a man worth having. If you want to know the trick to having a godly man pursue you, look no further than character!

I LOVE YOU!

Nathan