Getting down and dirty

When people talk about their ideal spouse, they always generate a list of qualities that they find desirable. They want beauty and intelligence, humor and compassion, zeal for life, love for the Lord, blond hair and blue eyes. People of a particular denomination of the church typically want someone who is also of that denomination ("a nice Catholic girl," or "a nice Southern Baptist girl with a few Reformed tendencies, but who understands the importance of missions and speaking in tongue"). We tend to find someone attractive when they share similar interests; same movies, same records, same doctrinal statements.

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The Lord has a girl of His dreams and it is us, and we know what we're like at our very cores. Jesus didn't come to earth looking for a nice Presbyterian girl who liked Radiohead and The Flaming Lips just like He did, who had large breasts, long legs and wide hips and thought that infant baptism was really important, too. He came for us, and before we knew Him, we were emaciated whores.

-- "The Girl of Your Dreams," by Joshua Gibbs, Folding a Map (via Kyriosity)

Getting down and dirty. Sometimes we can't know how great a sacrifice was made -- is made -- until we know just how far we are from being worthy of it.