I’ve gotten a lot of one-on-one questions about this from BOTH MEN AND WOMEN and I figured it was time to write about it. Before I write another line though, it’s important that I say a few things and get some things out of the way.

A. This article is mainly for mature Christian single women. Mature. Christian. Women. Why? Because girls might get offended or not understand but a mature Christian woman will probably get it and take the knowledge.

B. A woman’s relationship status does not define her, so being single is not a disease or an indication of something “wrong” with her. So this article is not to list a bunch of reasons why you are at fault for not being married …as if marriage was something you just bought at the store. I wouldn’t do that. I respect and care about women’s issues more than there is space to write about here. As a daughter of God, he is working out your story beautifully, so bask in that. This is, however, for Christian ladies who are ready for marriage but frustrated that they can’t find the right guy even though there seems to be options.

C. I write this respectfully but I will write it as honestly as possible as a man and as someone who knows a thing or two about relationships. I’ll tell you probably like no one has told you before. So, the tone may be a bit direct, not because I am brash but because I am writing to women, not girls. And one thing I know about women is that, contrary to the opinion that they want you to beat around the bush, when it comes to things that are really important, they want you to tell them like it is. They would rather know now, shed a tear or two and start working ASAP to move out, move up, move on or move forward so they don’t waste more time doing the same thing and not getting the outcomes they want.

D. All your single girlfriends AND male friends should read this.

So here we go.  Why can’t our wonderful Christian sisters find their Boaz, David or Joseph?

1. Many Christian ladies want a man that “knows where he is going”… but God’s men usually don’t have a clue:  Think about that for a moment. Think through the Bible…all the great men that had relationships with God and who he used and blessed….they usually didn’t have a clue about where they were going. And (here is the even crazier part) even if they had a clue, their lives for a long time did not reflect that great place God said he was taking them. Just think about it. All the way from Abraham …going to a land he did not know; Joseph having a dream that people would bow down to him but became a slave and then a prisoner; David who was anointed to be a king and then lived the next 15 years in the wilderness as a fugitive; Peter the great fisher of men who was barely able to catch fish.

These men would have had a rough time finding a wife today. Could you imagine?

Abraham calling sister Sarah aside after church and saying “Errrmmm Sarah, you know I love you right? Soooo God wants to take us somewhere …but I have no idea where. Wanna marry me and come?”

David, too. “Look baby…I really care about you and want to spend the rest of my life taking care of you… In fact, I’ve just been anointed King…buuutttt I’m kinda living in the bushes right now and on the run from the King I’m supposed to replace.”

Or Joseph. “Look Jill, God has shown me many dreams that people will bow down to me and I’ll be a great leader. But right now I wash dishes in Potiphar’s house and I’m a slave boy there.”

God’s men don’t “always” have a direction or know the details. So, stop looking for men who have it all figured out!

Here is the solution though…..here is the good news. Here is what you SHOULD be looking for:  Men who can be LED by God. (Rom 8:14) Don’t look for a man who already has the best-laid plans. Look for one who knows how to follow directions from the best planner.

The Boaz, David or Joseph kind of man may not know exactly where he is going but he knows how to follow God.

2. Many ladies approach relationships from the perspective of “Low Risk, High Reward”

Meaning, they want to get the absolute best man with the least amount of risk. And I’m not just talking about finances here. They don’t want to put themselves out there at all.

They want the man to take ALL the risks…to be utterly convinced he wants to be with them before they open up about who they really are. You know who you are…You act like YOU are the ONLY prize in the equation. He doesn’t know anything about your background but you turned into a private investigator to make sure he is good enough for you. You are financially irresponsible and an impulsive spender, you’re spending insane percentages of your income on your hair, shoes, bags, and your “package,” but you want a man who knows how to make and keep money. You have not grown your faith or prayer life to where it needs to be  but you want a demon-chasing, tongue -speaking, Bible-spitting warrior of a husband…because “he is the leader of the home.”

You’ve dated a bunch of losers that didn’t work out but he is no good because he has had several failed relationships, too? You want to see him as he is but you cover yourself up in perfectly filtered Instagram pictures, hair extensions, push up bras, makeup and layers of stuff that make it impossible to see who you really are. You are lazy with not much follow-through but you want a man who can stay up all night working on a project. If he put that spotlight on you, would YOU make the cut?

In essence, many Christian ladies say they have faith but they don’t. They say that God is their source but they are lying. They say that they trust God’s will for their future but they are lying. They don’t. They put their trust in a man. (eg. What kind of job he has or can get. How much he is making or can make.) They want to make sure he has the “ability to provide.” They want him to have his life utterly figured out…

But I have met many great men who haven’t found the employment they have the potential to get. I have met many others who were living it up until the economy crashed.  I have met some who had it all but God insisted they give it up to go and further the gospel.

If you want a Boaz, David or Joseph, you’re going to have to be ok with him not having everything perfectly figured out.

3. Many ladies forget that good Christian men look for women who share similar non-romantic, non-spiritual values

Sure he should be romantic and sure he must share those spiritual values but eerrmmm ladies…these Christian brothers are looking for those other character traits as well that speak to the OPERATION of your possible lives together. Dependability, thriftiness, work ethic, time management, hard work, follow-through and so on.

One of the first things we learn about Ruth, for example, was her work ethic. (Ruth chapter 2). She knew how to pull her hair back, forget about her nails, roll up her sleeves and get on the grind. She worked really hard and even when she got the attention of the “well-established guy with the sensitive heart” she didn’t stop working. She took the break that he offered her and went back to work.

That’s how you earn a man’s respect…when you can show him that what he HAS does not define who you are.

Here is the icing on that cake. Just because Ruth could get down and work, it didn’t mean she couldn’t look pretty and tidy up (Ruth 3:3)

The Boaz, David or Joseph kind of man knows it takes a lot more than butterflies and date nights to fulfill God’s mandate for his family.

4. Many ladies pre-qualify their leads: This is one of the most CRITICAL reasons. In fact, there is a powerful 2 part series on just that HERE.

The Boaz, David or Joseph kind of man …spends a long time NOT looking like the Boaz, David or Joseph the world will eventually come to know.

5. Good Christian men know their worth, too, and don’t want to settle either

Yeah ladies…men are understanding their worth a bit more, too. Christian men are getting more and more comfortable attending relationship seminars and getting information about seeking God’s face for a wife. They are realizing how powerful of an impact a wife has on the outcome of their lives and ministry, and they are spending more time trying to see what is beneath the surface. They know that a woman can make or break everything. They realize that a woman’s desires can accelerate him toward purpose or derail him.

They are praying more and they are realizing that while you still remain a prize, they too are precious in God’s eyes and want to do right by him. They are realizing that a wife can make or break a man.

Yes, they are praying for a Ruth but they are also praying against a Delilah.

The Boaz, David or Joseph kind of man knows his worth too.

6. Many Christian ladies have no testimony with men

A few years ago, an older friend (a number of years older than me) came up to me after a church program and asked me about a lady in my church. Who she was and what she was like as a person, he asked.

I didn’t stop talking for minutes. They were married about a year later.

Same thing happened to Ruth. (Ruth 2:3) Boaz came back from a trip, saw Ruth and asked his foreman, “Who is that and who does she belong to?” to which the foreman answered and gave a fantastic testimony of her character. (See Boaz’s response in Ruth 2:11)

Here is a secret, ladies. You know how you like a guy and try to keep it to yourself until your girlfriends force a confession out of you? We guys don’t do that. The moment we think we are interested in you, we are telling someone and we are asking around about you….and we are asking our MALE friends/mentors. Because we know they will tell us like it is and, of course, won’t spread it all around church and make things suddenly awkward or cause all the sisters to start giving the dirty eye next Sunday. Bro code.

The truth is that even Christian ladies can be toxic sometimes when it comes to how they treat men who they don’t consider a prospect. You forget that when the real prospect comes and is interested in you, he will ask other men…some who may never have approached you but who have watched you from afar, and yes, some who may have had an interest in you but you didn’t like. How did you handle those situations? (You totally need to read that article link above…especially the 2nd part of that series.)

The Boaz, David or Joseph kind of man looks deeper than the surface beauty. They look for testimonies of the woman’s character.

7. Many Christian women want a Proverbs 31 Man: That’s not a typo. Pick up your Bible and read Proverbs 31 again with fresh eyes… from the  perspective of the character of that woman…and you will see that those qualities are the ones that many women are looking for in a man when they should be busy developing those qualities themselves.

Single Christian men are reading that passage looking for those qualities in a woman, and women are putting that passage down and instead looking for those qualities in a man.

The Boaz, David or Joseph Kind of man has read Proverbs 31 and wants her.

8. Many Christian ladies want to be married but they are not truly ready to be led

 They want to marry a boyfriend but not a husband. They want only a partner, but not a leader. They want an emotional pre-nup that things will always be 50:50. They say they will concede authority to God himself but in their heart, they are not willing to be led by his representative in the home. What I am about to say next, I say with the utmost respect to women.

Men were created to lead at home. Now, with that leadership comes accountability to God, meaning that God holds him accountable and will punish him first for bad leadership. But a man cannot be accountable for a woman he can’t lead….and a Christian man does not want to be over anything he can’t be accountable to God about.

The Boaz, David or Joseph kind of man is a great servant leader like Jesus Christ…but he is a born leader and he knows it.

9. Many young married Christian women are painting a fairytale picture of marriage to their single ladies

Many young married women are doing a major disservice to single women. These young married women create a fairytale picture of weddings and marriage to their single friends. They love being the center of attention and to talk up how dreamy it is. Perfect Instagram photos, perfect wedding photos, expensive glamorous weddings, perfect Facebook updates, photos and so on. Is there anything wrong with that? No. It would just help a lot more when married young women keep it real with their sisters and tell them that the wedding day does not make the marriage.

It would help a whole lot more if they sit their single friends down and talk about the importance of a praying wife, a strong wife, a submissive wife (to a Godly man)  and how - contrary to popular opinion - the faith of a wife is both a weapon for the family and its defense, as well. Instead, they get their single sisters all dreamy eyed and waiting for a perfect story and a perfect man…waiting for Kal El from planet Krypton with the big “S” on his chest and a red cape, when they should look at Clark Kent from Planet Earth.

The Boaz, David or Joseph kind of man knows that the wedding is not the marriage and doesn’t want to create an impression he can’t maintain.

Sisters, God has a beautiful story of love written for you. Am I saying settle? No way. But I am saying look at these men through the eyes of Christ. Get your pride out of the way. Don’t define your marital success by how well your wedding day or “lifestyle” stacks up with other women.  Most importantly, start seeing yourself as a true (not just perceived) gift from God that can bring God’s favor and blessings into your husband’s life because that’s what you are. So work to BECOME that and I truly, truly wish you a love-filled, Christ centered happy marriage when it does happen.

So…start/join the conversation below. Which one of the points resonated with you? Was it an eye opener? Were there any surprises on the list? Any additional thoughts? Share those comments below.

Tobi Atte is a certified Neuro Linguistic Programming Practitioner, motivational speaker and the writer behind IJustMetMe, a lifestyle website for young adults who need a good dose of daily inspiration to tackle tough life issues. Tobi is also a new host on NEWDradio's #GPSme segment helping young adults finding life and love in the bity city. For more on relationships, motivation, fresh perspectives on faith, personal improvement and more, read/learn more at www.ijustmetme.com and watch him on YouTube HERE.