disillusioned

What is it about romantic movies that always leaves a woman disillusioned?

...

The second the credits roll she's left with a lagging sense of melancholy. Her friend taps her on the shoulder saying "We should probably stop and get gas on the way home and I need to pick up some milk too." She clumsily stands up to her feet and makes her way down the row as her shoes stick to the medley of spilt popcorn and coca cola beneath each step. And suddenly she's hit with the unwelcomed realization that her life is not the one she's been watching for the past 90 minutes.

...

This isn't the first time she's been presented with a picture of a man who will mystically fulfill all of her emotional longing.

So what characterizes this imaginary guy?

Just at the point of her deepest loneliness and misery, he shows up. Maybe he flies there from out of the country when he could have just sent an email. Maybe he abandons all work and obligations just to see her in person to tell her how he feels. Maybe he finds her in that secret place where no one knows she goes. Maybe he knocks on her door as she gasps "it couldn't be", or "how did he know?"

...

Yet in her seeminly tragic reality, there's no suprise knock at the door. He doesn't meet her in her loneliness. He doesn't rescue her from her point of despair. And when, after she carelessly breaks his heart and turns him down for some rich snob, she comes running back, he doesn't forgive unconditionally and shower her with more love than she ever expected or deserved.

...

I think the problem is that we've deified this Mr. Right. We've invested too much hope in one day meeting the man that will be the answer to all of our problems. A man that will fix us, kiss away all our scars, and make us feel beautiful again- a man that will complete us. And the disillusionment comes when we fail to discover him, or perhaps he fails to discover us.

Our biggest mistake is that we are expecting a man to satisfy the longings within us that he is not able to fulfil. Although romantic love is a wonderful thing, and in many cases can mirror Christ's love for us, we've wrongly made it out to be the pinnacle of the human experience. We've mistaken our deepest spiritual longings for emotional longings that can be met by our "perfect match". As a result, we are unable to see that this picture of the perfect man reaches it's culmination in God.

...

When she starts to see Him as her one true Love, she finds out that there has been someone knocking at the door. There has been someone pursuing her wherever she runs to. Someone who's already found her in her hiding places, and who knows all of her pain because He's taken it upon Himself. Someone who really can renew and make her beautiful again.

Someone who loves her so much, that no matter how many times she turns Him down, He will still be there, waiting to forgive and embrace her with more love than any human could offer.

Someone who completes her.

...

In Him we have found our Match, so we can stop looking. We can now stand in wonder at the One who's made the most irresistable proposal. And who seeks to be united with us for eternity.

All we have to do is say yes.

For your Maker is your husband—

the LORD Almighty is his name—

the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer;

he is called the God of all the earth.

Isaiah 54:5