Chivalry isn't Dead...Yet...And Other Things i'm Learning...

I love chivalry.

I might've even been reintroduced to it this week. :) So it got me thinking. What is chivalry? Is it dead? Does it have a place in the 21st century?

When i think about the word "chivalry" i think about opening the door for the lady, i think about old movies where the man would cast his coat over a puddle of water for the lady to walk on and not get her shoes wet (don't worry fellas, we don't expect this anymore), i think about a man offering his hand to a lady to help her out of a car....stuff like that.

I've asked some of my girlfriends what they think it means....

One friend said--"I think it means men being men. Respect. Courage. Honor. Defending a woman's right to be soft and special. Rescuing her at any cost." I like that. It kind of reminds me of knighthood. So is it something that was alive and well in the 14th and 15th centuries and dying out today? I don't think so. Well, i take that back. In an age where women are considered more equal than ever before...in an age where women are running for Presidency....[note: this is not going to be a crazy feminist blog entry. :)]...I think that some think chivalry should be buried. Gone forever. A thing of the past. I've seen proof of this in my dating adventures.

But guess what? Even if some women act like they don't care about chivalry, i wouldn't be so quick to believe them. Deep down, (and i've said this before), we want to be known. Respected. Treated with care. We want to feel special. Different.

You know what? It's okay if you don't pull my chair out for me. (It makes me feel awkward anyway) :) But to me, chivalry is doing things to make a lady feel like a lady...and cared for. Chivalry means caring enough to make a plan. Chivalry means not always texting. (Don't ask us on dates via text, people. ) You may now be thinking "soooo....does chivalry=high maintenance women? Nope. I don't believe so. Chivalry--to me--is the simple things. The phone call. The eye contact. The follow through.

Okay, so maybe that sounds like a "to-do" list for a guy. What about the lady? What is her role?

To be someone worth pursuing. Someone worthy of your respect. Worthy of the follow-through. And in my world, i long to become a woman worthy of the pursuit. A godly woman of character. See proverbs 31: 10-28. Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate. Proverbs 31: 30-31.

Chivalry is still alive and well. Harder to find--perhaps--but it's still around...