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By Susan G. Schumann –
As I sat on my patio drinking a cup of morning coffee, I shivered in my cotton sweatshirt. It was cold for January in Southern California. I skimmed the front page of the newspaper and checked out the weather, then turned back to the classifieds department.
I found it interesting–and a little entertaining–to read the “lonely hearts” section. I couldn’t believe the “looking for” ads people placed. There couldn’t be that many beautiful/handsome, intuitive, loving, intelligent, rich, charming, outgoing, sensitive, and kind people in Los Angeles who had somehow managed to avoid meeting one another.
The more I read, the more I realized no one even came close to what I was looking for. All right, I thought, and grabbed my pencil. This is the ad I should place:
Wanted: A man of integrity, in the process of becoming. Edges softened by experience. Sense of humor shaped by adversity; perspective on life forged through surviving good and bad times. Whistling definitely an asset, though not required. Must live in a transparent vessel.
I put my pencil down for a moment. Maybe I should be a little more specific, leaving no room for doubts:
Eyes–colored with compassion; looking with mercy on others’ shortcomings; given to seeing the bright side when things look dark.
Arms–long enough to reach out to others; wide enough to encompass a heart full of grief.
Legs–strong enough to walk through trials and hard times, up the mountains and down the valleys of life; able to run with endurance the race set before him.
Hands–big enough to grasp another’s hand in need; strong enough to push away fear; gentle enough to dry tears with a loving touch; firm enough to manage life’s troubles.
Skin–thick enough to ignore the pettiness and problems of daily living; thin enough to feel unspoken needs.
Ears–sensitive to silent words; capable of tuning out irrelevant information; able to listen through to the heart.
Mouth–able to speak the truth in love; give a word to the weary; not to be used in anger; overflowing with kindness.
Mind–forgets past hurts and injustices; retains great thoughts and special memories; trained to think the best.
Height–tall enough to rise above temptation; short enough to stoop and pick up those who fall.
Age–old enough to accept life’s realities; young enough to hum in the midst of adversity, laugh in the face of failure, and dance on the dawn of tomorrow.
Clothes–clothed with compassion; a well-fitting suit of God’s armor, tattered with use, is desirable.
Occupation–occupied with the joy of life while being conformed to the image of Christ; looks to the future while appreciating the present; computes eternal dividends.
WARNING: Only those willing to experience a life filled with great risk, no guarantees, and possible pain–yet who continue to hope in the future–need apply. No wearers of rose-colored glasses, please.
I put down my pencil and pondered a minute. Maybe I will place that ad. You never know. And in the meantime, I’ll be busy working on those qualities myself. Just in case someone places an ad like that for me to answer.