A Man Worth Marrying

I came across the following story many years ago. I do not know the source but it accurately describes the type of man I am aspiring to be through the grace of the Lord. Perhaps it will inspire other young adults as they prepare themselves to be godly husbands and wives.

When Ruth Bell was a teenager, she was sent from her childhood home in China to school in Korea. At the time, she fully intended to follow in her parents' footsteps and become a missionary. She envisioned herself a confirmed "old maid" ministering to the people of Tibet. While at school, however, Ruth did give some serious thought to the kind of husband that she might consider. As she tells in her book A Time for Remembering, she listed these particulars:

"If I marry: He must be so tall that when he is on his knees, as one has said, he reaches all the way to heaven. His shoulders must be broad enough to bear the burden of a family. His lips must be strong enough to smile, firm enough to say no, and tender enough to kiss. Love must be so deep that it takes its stand in Christ and so wide that it takes the whole lost world in. He must be active enough to save souls. He must be big enough to be gentle and great enough to be thoughtful. His arms must be strong enough to carry a little child."

Ruth Bell never did become a full-time missionary in Tibet. However, she did find a man worth marrying: Billy Graham. As his wife, Ruth Bell Graham became a missionary to the whole world!