Bringing the Question to a woman

The Question being, "Do I have what it takes? And by bringing it to a woman, it meant finding validation from her.

How many of us guys can relate to that? We seek to find affirmation from a woman that our fathers were meant to bestow. We fall in love and the romance blossoms, and for a while the world becomes a better place and the sky is the limit. But then things fade, and both the man and the woman wonder why.

"The reason is that he stopped the progression, never went on to know God as Lover. No woman can satisfy this longing in a man's heart, and no good woman wants to try. When he makes her the centre of his universe, it feels romantic for a while, but then the planets starts to collide. It's not a big enough romance. He will find his heart awakening again when he opens his heart to God, and though he might have to journey there for a season, he'll find he has something to offer his woman again." - John Eldredge, Fathered by God(2009)

We are, as the author puts it, "wounded lovers". How can we freely and strongly offer love when we are desperate and frightened in a search for love?

Brothers, we cant. Not until we are healed anyway.

And shortcuts will only serve to lengthen the process. With regards to healings and character there are no quick-fixes. Blaming circumstances is a quick-fix. Swearing ignorance is a quick-fix. The beauty on the screen is a quick-fix. For while she seems enticing, partly because it makes us feel like a man, it is a counterfeit.