The Good Girls
They’re out there…somewhere, wrapped in lovely smiles and beautiful laughter. They’re the reason we walk the streets with hope-filled eyes and longing hearts. They’re the reason we maintain faith in our story’s happy ending. They’re what we ache for and who we strive to impress. They are the good girls and though they grow scarce as the days fall past, they are the hidden treasures worth a thousand Sparrow’s journey.
They are those who pull you close with their goodness while melting you with their shimmering, wonderful light. They’re the ones who hold their beliefs tightly, clinging to them because they realize where their salvation lies. They are those that possess a once broken heart, never trusting readily but when they do, they give you all they have. They’re the mighty ones, small in their rarities yet feverish in their reaches for greatness. They are the humble givers who put us all before themselves while never letting those saintly smiles fall from their softened lips. They’re the goodly ones with hearts of gold and the presence of respected royalty.
They are those who not only deserve our respect, but expect it. They are those that become the best of wives, and mothers, and friends. They are the loyal loving who praise us with their voice while supporting us with their actions, lifting us in reverence and warming us in beautiful grace. They are the Godly ones, blanketed in favor and blessed with a thankful heart. They’re the feistiness that will pepper our days with quick-witted banter and winking slights of flirtation. They are the heart-bursting few, holy in their walk and nurturing in their disposition.
There’s a parade of them to be found and they truly are the home we seek. They hold the key to the happiness we promise ourselves and the satisfaction we crave. They’re waiting patiently for those of us who are worthy to meet their calling, for they are the revered, the wanted. They are the goodly reward bestowed upon the strong in heart and mighty of courage. They’re the good girls, and they are to be sought, loved and respected. They are the good girls and they’re out there, simply waiting to be discovered.
(Note: Find me on Twitter @Cory_Copeland. Thank you for reading. It means the world to me.)
What an engaging writing style you have. Excellent syntax and rhythym! I really appreciated reading this. I’ve had the same thought about the godly, stalwart, strong and compassionate men out there…somewhere.
Thanks so much! It’s always nice to get honest feedback
-C
Wow! Thank you Cory for such an inspiring post! Truly, there are young women in my circle of friends that meet this description to a T, and the man that secures their devotion, and affection will certainly be blessed! I hope this is an encouragement to young ladies not to compromise their purity, not to give up their innocence, but to remain strong in their devotion to the Lord! May the Lord bless every Godly young man with a wife that deserves this high praise!
Thanks, brother. I appreciate your kind words.
-C
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Wow! I needed to read this tonight. Thank you.
You’re very welcome. Thank you for reading.
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Proverbs 5:15-21; Proverbs 31:10-31 I love how the book ends on this Wife of Noble Character. This is who the role model should be. This is who girls should be striving for and who some are trying to embody. Look out for those who are trying, they’ve got the right idea. Thank you for this post. It’s what I’ve been thinking a lot about recently. I actually heard this quote today that made me think. “If you knew you were going to meet the love of your life in one year, how different would that year be?” I mean, honestly? Thanks again and God bless!
Thank you for posting this. I almost cried. Sometimes being the “good girl” is hard, discouraging, and you feel like you’re missing out. This post was really encouraging!
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Elizabeth. And thank you for reading.
-C
I was rereading your posts (new follower as of a month-ish ago) and I came across this post. Inspiring and enlightening; described what I think of myself as. Keep writing Mr. Copeland, because you are writing what some people need and what some people simply enjoy.
Thank you so very much, Hannah. I appreciate you saying so.
Thanks for reading!
-C
wowsers! (i agree with elizabeth above!) … what a gorgeously written, completely encouraging post. thank you for that. very much.
http://www.longcitywalks.wordpress.com
Thanks. I totally cried while reading this. I needed it…
You know what’s really great about this? It proves that the good guys are still out there too!
http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/novel_19c/thackeray/angel.html
Thank you for shoving me as a woman and yourself as a man back into culturally prescribed gender roles.
I deign to be called a “woman full of goodness,” from the sheer fact that it reflects a major theological flaw–none of us are good. I refuse to become any man’s “home.” A relationship should not be built on a false foundation of the woman as a moral center, but rather on a Christocentric ideology that recognizes the strengths and weakness of people as individuals, not as a woman or a man. I will maintain my sexual and mental purity not because I am waiting for a “Christian” man to come marry me, but because I serve the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, the Great I AM, and He has commanded it. I will not be any man’s reward for “the strong in heart” and “mighty of courage,” but will engage in relationships that will exhort and edify men and women alike to becoming more like Christ. I am not waiting to be discovered, I am HERE.
While I recognize you have written your blog and your posts thoughtfully and have no ill wishes against women or men, I beg you to please read. Not this comment necessarily, but in general. Educate yourself in old and contemporary thought about gender relationships. Read wonderful philosophers such as Mary Wollstonecraft, bell hooks, and Susan Bordo. Read poets such as Sylvia Plath and Adrienne Rich. Read novelists such as Virginia Woolf and Jean Rhys. If you wish to write about women and wish to write this blog to be culturally relevant to combat the negative messages women receive from the media, you need to know and understand the context in which you are writing. I guarantee you that you will be more effective if you understand culture better and will be able to make a better stand for Christ and Christian thought if you know something about the world outside of the subculture Christianity has turned into.
This is absolutely lovely. It is uplifting to read and put a smile on my face. Thank you so much for sharing it with us.
I thought that this post was beautiful when I first read it, but there was something that gnawed at me just a little. I am ‘a [pretty] good girl’ and as such, I am also a forgotten, ignored, and nearly asexual girl until the boy decides he’s ready to be good and comes to find me. Do good girls have to sit back and wait until this man is ready to find his home while he dates and sleeps with whoever he wants? This seems to smack of some kind of misogynistic idea that women are meant to be holy, moral leaders of the home, angels, saviors to sexually-driven men who are able to sow their wild oats with ‘bad girls’ then settle down with a good girl. Double standard is perpetuated. And where are the good boys for the good girls? Am I being a good girl just for the pay-off of getting a boy? And what if I never get a boy? My morals and stand on modesty should be more about my relationship with God and respect for my own body than worry over a spouse who may never come. I don’t mean to sound bitter, but I sort of am.
If I’m honest, I could pick up on a bit of bitterness while reading your comment.
This post wasn’t necessarily about what women should be or looking down on those who aren’t this way, but rather a celebration of those girls/women who choose a life of virtue and respect for themselves instead of another road.
This piece says nothing about men’s rights to do what they want. If I’m guessing, I’d say you’re possibly speaking from some kind of experience from your past. (If you’re interested, I wrote on “The Good Guys” here: http://corycopeland.wordpress.com/2011/08/31/the-good-guys/
I agree that your stand on modesty and your morals should be more about your relationship with God. Focusing on a spouse is a dangerous way to live. We are to live to please and magnify God. That should be our sole purpose. Everything else will work out the way it should; the way He sees fit.
I hope this clarifies my position some.
Thank you for reading. I appreciate it.
-C
This is beautiful, thank you.
Speaking for myself only, I have to say this didn’t raise any red flags for me in terms of double standards or deconstructing gender roles – and I’ve spent many years in arts faculties learning all about them. I just found it incredibly affirming. So thanks.
My pleasure, Sarah! Thank you for reading.
-C