Men and women and love and stuff

Part ONE:


Hey, guys! Cody here.

I'm reading a book right now called Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge. While it is definitely old-school in some areas, and I don't agree with every single word that is printed, it is gold. I'm going to share a few things that I am learning from this book, and consequently about myself. I have some personal stories, some quotes from the book, and my thoughts on men, women, love, and stuff.

The story begins:

I started seriously thinking about my future in regards to dating and marriage at a dinner table with an old friend about 3 months ago. We had just started eating when he looked me dead in the eye and asked, 

"Cody, what do you desire in a man?"

I gently put my fork down on my plate. To say that this caught me off guard is an understatement. I had never sat down and really thought about what I desired in a man. Well, I certainly knew the things that I wasn't looking for, and I had some ideas as to what I was looking for in a man....but they had never been well thought-out, and most certainly never spoken. 

I quickly came to the realization that no one had ever asked me this question before. No mentor, no parent, no friend, and certainly none of my past boyfriends.

I asked him if he would give me a minute to think. Although he may not have realized it, I felt like sharing this information would be like bearing a part of my soul to him. I wasn't even sure if it was appropriate to answer. Suddenly, my heart was beating faster than it had been the minute before. My response would tell so much about me, I thought. It would reveal my deepest longings, and more ashamedly, my brokenness. Did he know what he was doing? He sounded like he was asking because he really wanted to know the answer... I wasn't prepared to respond. As soon as the words came out of his mouth, it sent chills down my spine. 

Suddenly, I was nervous.

[Next post should be up by tomorrow. Stay tuned if you will.]