I am not against dating, as shocked as some might be to hear me say that. I am not against noticing that a girl/woman has marriageable characteristics, or that sometimes I hear a questioning voice inside my head asking if this might be the girl I will marry. I have not full control over every futile emotion; yes I am still human. Realize it or not, every now and then, I meet a girl, and my emotions kick in, and I need to rebalance my attention. What I mean by rebalancing, is that I try to set aside the emotions, or rather redirect the emotion's energy, and try to concentrate on serving that person in friendship, which in turn allows my emotions to be used for good. One day, I may have a girl to whom I shall share my total being with, and believe it or not, it won't be some random person I've only met once before. No, it will be one of my friends. It will be a girl I have shared with, talked with, prayed with, joked with, and even cried with. A friend that I know is the same person with me as they are with everyone else: a girl different from the rest, a girl above average, but not in physicality or features, but in spirit and devotion.
"So why the big deal about not dating?" You might ask. My two biggest problems are not with dating, but rather how people handle dating. The dating scene in today's society is far from what it was many years ago. Reading the stories of the Pilgrims, and their non-physical, constant supervision dating seems totally unwanted in today's society, for some argue, "How would you get to know a person?" Yet I wonder why in this country the divorce rate in America is rising higher and higher? Could it be that the constant swaying of "trial and error" creates an "if it's broke throw it away" mentality? Could it be, when the world was not polluted by radio and television, when the Bible and Faith were the main staples of the early American families, that they were able to create a system of "courtship" that was actually successful? As Christians we have accepted Christ and are saying that God's way is far superior to ours. So why do we now trust modern society to create our dating habits? Courtship is just a phrase and, in a lot of ways, means absolutely nothing; it is the motives behind relationships and not what you call it. I love Jeremiah 6:16.
"Thus saith the Lord, stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls�" Even the context of the passage seems relevant in a sense.
A girlfriend or boyfriend can, and will be, a distraction from God, and our own personal spiritual walk. Too often we see "couples" that are totally oblivious to others and their needs when they are together. They are so reclusive that it is often rude. (Lord willing) They talk about God being in their relationship, yet they get so bound up with each other that it seems more like they use God as there Elmer's glue, rather than their Rock, and Foundation. They use God as a side dish and forget that if they base themselves on Him and His will, it will do more than just "hold them together." The second problem is the fact that at a young age, you are taking and trying to hold on to what God would have given you in His good time, if you had just had faith and waited upon Him. "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these thing (all you need) will be added unto you." That means if God's will is for you to marry, then pursue His kingdom and he will provide a spouse. (Obviously easier said than done.)
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