Searching for Love...Blindfolded

One of love's greatest enemies is sight. Infatuation, pornography, jealousy... But what about a love that's pure and holy? That's real love, the love that everyone's after, the true happily ever after. Many people find themselves settling for less, accepting a 'love' that is purely physical and only temporary. But no one is really happy with that kind of love that never gives and only takes. No little girls dream about hooking up – they dream about marriage and babies and give and take. They dream about love, but society is teaching people that it is okay to settle for less. But it's not. In our hearts we know we deserve much more. Unfortunately, some people don't realize this until they have been used or married a person to only to get a divorce after realizing their spouse wasn't who they thought they were.

So. How do we put an end to premarital sex and divorce? How do we find the road to happily ever afters? I don't promise to have all the answers, but I do have an idea as to how to set you out on the right path. When looking for love, search as if you were blindfolded. What do I mean? Instead of looking for someone with the best looks, search for something deeper. People talk about love at first sight as if it is so romantic, but is that what love is really about? If it was, surely no one would be married when they were old and gray.

Love is about commitment – it's about loving someone for who they are rather than how they look. Love is about what can't be seen.

So. Pretend for a moment that you have a blindfold around your eyes, or if you want to take it even further, pretend that you're blind. Now, let's say that you're looking for someone to settle down with and you have two potential suitors. Your friend tells you that one is very good looking and the other is only so-so. So far you've got nothing. It makes no difference to you what they look like because you can't see them. After speaking to both, you have determined that the first is romantic and funny but tries to make you do things you aren't comfortable doing and is constantly questioning you about your whereabouts out of jealousy. The second is a bit on the quiet side but is considerate, caring, and giving. It's not hard to guess who you would choose (even though you have no idea which one has the good looks and which one doesn't).

If you were blind, what kind of person would you want? I've started a list of some of the essentials:

Someone who...

• stays by your side

• looks out for you

• accepts you for who you are – limitations and all

• supports and encourages you

• patiently waits for you and helps you

• treats you respectfully and not like any less of a person

• is giving

• is loving

• is honest

• is protective

• is understanding

Just because someone is big and lifts weights doesn't make them protective, and just because they smile a lot doesn't make them nice. Why? Because looks can be deceiving, but the heart can't hide forever. When times get hard, a person's true colors become apparent. A person's body may degenerate and get bruised and broken, but a person's love can last forever.

So if it's love you're looking for, try searching with your eyes closed – you might just run into the best partner a person could find...and you might just find the love that happily ever afters can't even begin to describe..The love that includes a wedding ring, kids, anniversaries, hugs through the tears, laughter through the pain, and smiles through the stress and turmoil. Love. The kind that doesn't divorce, doesn't lessen, doesn't end, and can't be seen so much as felt. The love that you find blindfolded.