Ro.Mance.

"I came to Camp for two things: Ro. Mance." My youth pastor, playing a high school girl in a camp skit.

When I was a girl, I believed in love as all-powerful, magical destiny.  Sure, Disney was involved, but the belief was bigger than that.  For example, if only, if only Christine had chosen to stay with Erik at the end of Phantom of the Opera she totally could have saved him.  All that psychopath needed was love, right?  Christine seemed like a bit of a pansy to me, especially when she bailed.

Now?  I've seen too many real life people get dragged into abusive relationships, and witnessed that love alone is no cure for mental illness.  As soon as Christine starts hearing a strange man's voice in her dressing room, I'm like "Christine!!  Leave!  Paris!  Run!!  Also, Raul is kinda boring - no need to take him along."

I yell at the couple in The Notebook "You provide false evidence that romantic love is the only satisfaction and fulfillment needed in life!  Also, you are both extremely boring and so perhaps you do deserve each other.  Why did I even read this book?"

I yell at the Little Mermaid "Don't give up your world, change your body, and make a deal with the devil for a man you don't know!!  Actually, don't even do most of those things for a man you do know."  (side note: I'd love to see Ariel on Hoarders).

I'm a crazy lady who yells at fictional people apparently.  But that's not the point.  I'd gotten to a place where I'd see a RomCom and be fuming about all the lies that the current media does, and let's be real, humanity has always told about love.

Naturally, I married a Myers-Briggs Feeler to my Thinker - Ben: who made (quite good) decisions based on 'intuition' and was partial to the Romantic Grand Gesture.  We compromised: he could buy me flowers, but not on Valentine's Day when they are exorbitantly priced and cliche.

Fairy tale?  No, just a beautiful moment in real life.

Despite coming home to find surprise flowers (or once, a piano) waiting for me, marriage provided firsthand evidence that even my favorite person wouldn't always be there for me.  Well-intentioned as we both might be, we wouldn't always be on the same page, and certainly didn't understand everything about each other.  We absolutely weren't all the other needed, and we weren't capable of taking responsibility for making the other into the person they wanted to be.  Those expectations, my friends, are the root of disappointment and dysfunction.

Here's the plot twist: over the last few years, I've come to believe in romance again.  But not in quite the same way.  You see, all those those failures of human love come true with the God who created us, and fought and sacrificed to win us back.

I'm not Christine.  I'm the Phantom of the Opera - pleading for the Love that will rescue me "from the dominion of darkness" and into the light. (Col. 1:13)

I am Cinderella, waiting to be whisked away from bondage and drudgery to marry the King's son (Rev. 21)(Hosea 2:16-20).

Is this grandiose thinking?  Indeed!  But such is God's plan!

I am Jack Nickolson in "As Good as it Gets", having found the Love that "Make(s) me want to be a better (wo)man". (Psalm 119:10)

I am what-their-faces from The Notebook (though hopefully more interesting), because this Love will complete me, fulfill me and satisfy me. (Isaiah 55:1-3... and so many other places).

My Lover knows everything about me, and cherishes me still (Psalm 139).  I want to know Him better too (He's definitely the mysterious type).

He even has my name tattooed onto his hands (Isaiah 49:16)  I can't wait to see what font He picked!  And to look up and see His face!