What's Bothering Me Now: Pride and Prejudice

You read correctly, Pride and Prejudice.

For anyone who knows me, go ahead and pick up you jaw...the floor is nasty. For those of you ready to burn me at the stake...HEAR ME OUT!

I love Pride and Prejudice. Always will. Mr. Darcy has been giving me unreal expectations about love for years now. However, I think that's why it's bothering me.

I have watched it twice in the past 24 hours, read it twice in my life, read multiple versions of it (including Pride and Prejudice and Zombies) and every single time I finish, I'm left re-evaluating my life and trying to figure out why one earth I am not Elizabeth Bennet. I know me and Mr. Darcy would never work out. I know I am not Elizabeth Bennet by any stretch of the imagination. But why can't we have those 18th-19th century romances? Why am I not dating a Mr. Knightley or Mr. Darcy?

I'll tell you why, because Pride and Prejudice was written in the last years of the 18th century by a woman who knows what women want and who, well, to be frank, died alone. The writing is beautiful and stories are perfect. Everyone has to learn something, and the hero is never flawless. They seem so real. But they're not.

Who wants a real love story? I would love to be in 19th century England and have the mysterious and handsome Mr. Darcy look at me intently and tell me how ardently he admires and loves me. I'd like to take this moment to thank Jane Austen for ruining my life. But I think at the root of it, Pride and Prejudices shows us what we want and what I think we all deserve. To be wanted, to be desired and to be wanted and desired by someone who brings out the best in us.

Pride and Prejudice bothers me because it shows me how God intended relationships and how different that is from what it they have become. IT SHOULDN'T BE FICTION!!!

Girls, he wants you to be pursued. He did not make you so absolutely wonderful to just fall into the arms of the first who offers. He desires love for you, love like his love for you. He wants you to be able to call the guy a jerk and break his heart and ruin all hope for his future happiness and he still loves you. And you've got to admit when you're wrong and humbly apologize!

Guys! He wants you to pursue girls in a gentleman like manner. He wants you to love them like Christ loves the church even when they call you a jerk, break your heart and ruin all hope for your future happiness. Love them when they're wrong.

Guess What? It's those times when girls and guys alike will learn the most about themselves! AND you come out a better person because of it. Let's face it, everyone is always a little wrong.

But I DO want a real love story!!!!!!!!!

...and last night, I found hope. At Wesley, one of the interns sang a song for his wife. She had just finished her last round of chemo and was declared cancer free. During the offertory, he sang "You and Me" by Dave Matthews. It was absolutely beautiful. They hugged afterwards and it was the sweetest thing I have ever witnessed. I realized that is what love is. Real, pure, Godly love. So for a modern day Elizabeth and Darcy, not bad.


Moral of the story:
I think we all deserve our own Pride and Prejudice and we shouldn't give up hope on it because we don't understand each other. Apparently it's hard and it sucks but somehow worth it.

Which is good news because we can all love Pride and Prejudice and blame society for allowing us to feel like we deserve sucky love stories.