I’m going to tell a story, but first, I need to tell the backstory:

About the time I let go of my list, my two best guy friends both got girlfriends. One of them had been my Back-up Plan (to marry if we were both tired of singleness at the same point, and no one better had come along); the other had been my Last Resort (to marry if we were both single and the last two people on earth).

Okay, on with the story!

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The window is clean, but I can’t really see through it. It’s the window to my future.

My “List of Things I Want in a Man” is taped to the window. I like looking at it; it’s comforting, and it’s known. It doesn’t bother me to not see through the window, when I can see my pretty list instead.

God: take it down.

Me: I don’t want to take it down! It’s been there forever, and I’m comfortable with it. FINE, I’ll take it down.

[Deep Breath] Riiiiiiiiip!

Whoa, I can see – what is that? – oh my goodness, it’s Jesus. Why did I ever want to look at this list instead of at Jesus? I’m so dumb.

*CRASH* Something just fell off the window sill. It’s “Back-up Plan.”

*CRASH* And there goes “Last Resort.”

Jesus! You’re so much clearer now. When I look to the future, all I can see is You. Thank you, thank you for taking my “List of Things I Want in a Man” – and for knocking the idols off of my window sill.

But I’m good now, thanks. That’s all. Excuse me while I go over here and make a List of Eligible Bachelors to tape to the window.

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That’s pretty much what happened (metaphorically speaking, anyway). Having let go of my first list, I found the need to replace it with one of “Men I Think Are Dateable.”

The list included the obligatory celebrities (Josh Groban, Zachary Levi, etc.), the men I’d date in a heartbeat, and the ones I’d have to pray about before saying yes or no to them.

Yes, this list was also broken into categories.

Sigh. I knew (and even said several times) that “God’s list only has one name on it.”

SIDE NOTE: I’ve read dozen of debates about whether each person has a “The One,” or whether each person could conceivably marry any one of several compatible people. Maybe I’m a hopeless romantic, but I believe in “The One” – which no one would ever know by looking at my list.

Without consulting me first, God had a plan to take away that list, too.

Due to a couple of blog posts I read (nothing specific – just general ones going around) and one poignant conversation with my roommate (which I can’t go into because then the purposely ambiguous timeline of this story might be revealed), that list came down almost of its own accord, and I was done with it.

No agonizing, no arguments with God, no pried-open fingers or reluctant whining. God just gently removed it from the window and reminded me that His plan is better.

And Jesus was more beautiful than ever (Psalm 27:4). My beautiful guarantee.

No matter what happens in life and romance and blogging and everything, He reminds me that nothing – no list or plan or timeline or person – will ever be more pleasing (Psalm 16:11), more satisfying (John 4:13-14), or more guaranteed than He is (John 10:28-29).

And THAT’S why Jesus is my drug of choice.