Dating rules: Make them or break them?

This is a dilemma of mine.  In a perfect world, Mr. Perfect will not only be tall, dark, and handsome, but he will: be strong in his Faith, have kids my age or older, have a solid work history, have the ability to perform home repairs (or the financial ability to pay for a professional), work out in lieu of taking blood pressure and high cholesterol medication, smell good, be divorced/live alone for 2+ years, wait 3 months to meet each other’s kids, have access to a pick-up truck, live within 20 miles, enjoy outdoor activities, be taller and weight more than me, appreciate drinking wine on the patio…..  You get my drift?  What if he doesn’t know how to operate a screwdriver or has a toddler or is between jobs or has only been divorced for 1-month?  Should we rule him out based on our own set of rules?  Do you think that we as women get too hung-up on some perfect man, then complain that there are no good ones out there?  I mean, we know our lifestyles, we know what we can/cannot tolerate – or do we?  Let’s ponder this for a moment.

It all comes down to this for me - he must be a Christian and he must be good looking.  Of course, good looking comes from the inside out, so there are no set rules here.  I don’t have a particular “look” that I am attracted to - except the “look” of a man who loves Jesus.  Loving Jesus makes a man very, very attractive to me.  Do you know that song “Lead Me” by Sanctus Real?  That’s the man I want when it all comes down to it.  By Christian, I mean a fully devoted follower of Christ including: assuming his duties as head of the household  (1 Cor. 11:3), loving me ( Ephesians 5:33), and setting an example in what he says, how he lives, and in love, faith and purity (1 Timothy 4:12).    

Let’s be careful at the same time to NOT over-Spiritualize this.  If he is too far from your gut level of  a possibility, and the relationship has a few red-flags, God is not going to bring it all together magically just because you are Christians.  Seek wise Christian counsel (friends, pastors, etc.), give the relationship time to develop, watch how he treats his mother/children, read Christian relationship books (“Boy Meets Girl” by Joshua Harris is my favorite), get a clear understanding of where he sees his role as the man in your relationship, understand his willingness to compromise, stay pure, and listen to God.  And make sure he smells right!     

Have you ever looked outside of your box?  What attracts you to a man?  What are some of your rules?