Dating
By Renee, WI
Dating is not one of the subjects that crosses my mind on an everyday basis. I have never dated before and honestly, I was a bit nervous about it. One week the subject of our daily chapel services was sexual impurity. This got me thinking more about dating and all the temptations involved. The next chapel we were split by gender. The girls chapel was about how we do certain things like wear shorter and tighter shirts to attract attention and feel good about ourselves. This in turn can appeal to the men out there who are only interested in physical appearance. I would like to consider myself a modest dresser, but I know sometimes I am not. I do not want to attract the wrong men, which got me thinking how do I know who is the right man for me?
I made up a list of questions about dating to find the right man and took them to a teacher who I know and trust and we talked. By the end of the conversation I was less worried about the whole dating process. This is the advice I picked up about the dating process: One of the main questions I asked was, "Is there a point to dating in High School?". At my High School, it seems some people date just to be cool, but it is never a serious commitment to them and I wouldn't want to be dumped by a guy just because he was bored of me. The teacher responded by saying that she dated while she was in High School and she did not mind it. She said it was a good experience, and she does not regret it. She told me to feel free to experiment and date different men, but be up front with them and let them know that I will not be persuaded by them to do things that I know are wrong according to God's Word.
Then we got into talking about her dating experiences and she mentioned how she never dated outside her faith. I thought that was a good idea to keep in mind. If I date men in the same faith as me, I will know that having common morals with the man I marry will encourage me in my faith life, and together we can raise healthy, Godly children.
Finally, she assured me that God will have the right one come along and not to worry, because for every story about abuse and rape I hear about there are people who find the right one and are in a healthy relationship. This information was very comforting to me and I was glad to talk about it and hear from someone who went through what I am going through right now. I encourage everyone with questions about dating to talk to someone you trust and read the Bible as well to hear what God has to say about ideal characteristics in a spouse. The Bible also gives warnings about the danger in dating with your feelings rather than your head and saying no to what you know is wrong. If people turn to God's Word, they will have a happy and healthy dating experience.