Disclaimer: 1am post
As I was looking for a Christian blog or a Relevant Magazine
post or a devotional or SOMETHING on the internet about “liking” a Christian, I
was left wholly unsatisfied. I couldn’t
find any advice about Christian dating besides guidelines for being in an actual
relationship. And those were mostly
temporal guidelines (physical boundaries, seeking counsel, etc.) and not
talking about actual heart issues. But
what about the before stuff? There is so much involved in wooing, liking,
crushing, getting to know someone, and the like. How do we glorify and obey God when our
emotions are hotter than ever and we feel EXTREMELY vulnerable?
Right now, I myself am in the midst of this. I like someone a LOT. He may or may not know it, and he may or may
not like me back. We aren’t in the
position to date yet though, so it’s not something I felt the need to rush into
knowing (as in tonight). However,
waiting for the right time to DTR (Define the Relationship) has been hell. What do I do in the mean time? I won’t see this person for a month. Yet, I think about him every day.
Here are some lessons I am learning that I think would be of
use to Christians in the “liking” process.
#1) LOVE YOURSELF
·
So, this person may or may not like you. What a great time to really test whether or
not your value is placed on someone liking you or not. Every time you believe that he or she likes you, do you value yourself
more? Or does it not make a
difference? Every time you believe that
he or she does NOT like you, do you value yourself less? Or does it not make a difference? The not-knowing time is great as a litmus
test of where you put your worth.
·
Are you consumed with thoughts of this person to
the extent that you lose yourself? Or do
you still do the things that you love?
#2) TALK TO GOD
·
One of the stupidest things you can do is to try
and hide your crushing from God. He
knows your every thought! (Psalm
139:2) Let that be a comfort to
you. Know that He does not condemn you
for thinking constantly about your crush, for there is no condemnation for
those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).
Instead, seek counsel from the Almighty Counselor.
#3) LISTEN TO GOD
·
Just because you talked to God, doesn’t mean you
have also chosen to listen. Just because
you heard from God, doesn’t mean you have also chosen to listen (Matthew
13:13). Listening implies hearing,
understanding, AND obeying. Emotions are
hot and oftentimes the idea of being close to our crush can become our
god. It sometimes dictates our actions
more than the Holy Spirit. This is why
you must not only talk to and hear from God, but listen and obey. If God told you to back off, BACK OFF. If God told you to pray for the person, pray
for the person. If God told you to wait,
wait. If God told you to express your
feelings, express your feelings. Don’t
jump the gun and don’t cower in legalism.
#4) KEEP WATCH OVER YOUR WEB STALKING
·
Let’s be honest.
We all Facebook stalk our crushes.
Like intensely. We all wish we
could like every single on of their photos because they are all extremely
flattering. We all wish we could comment
on their statuses because they are so intelligent and on-fire for Jesus. We all wish we could <3 every instagram
photo. Don’t lie. In this day and age, it is so easy. The internet is faster, everyone is online
now, and the amount of posting is daily if not hourly. Now keeping up with
someone on Facebook is not a bad thing.
It is good to appreciate someone made in God’s image. However, gluttony proceeds the innocence of
checking in on a friend when we have multiple check-ups multiple times
throughout the day. The same goes for
crushes. I know you like him/her, but
you must ask God how you can miss him/her the RIGHT way (HIS way) instead of
creating false closeness by viewing their latest posting. If your amount of web stalking is greater
than your amount of verbal communication, then it is safe to say you are doing
too much. Limit yourself.
#5) KEEP WATCH OVER YOUR FANTASIES
·
It’s fine to hope, and it’s also fine (and
important!) to imagine the possibility of marrying that someone one day. However, if you find yourself having elaborate
fantasies, conversations, and role plays in your head with this individual,
then you are beginning to create a world that isn’t reality.
·
Nip this in the bud by realizing that
over-imagining life with this person is rooted in fear.
o
Fear of
the unknown gives us a feeling of lacking control, and the only way to control
is to imagine what we would do or what they would do in a given situation. Instead of imagining the unknown, be open to
the unknown that is yet to unfold before you.
Life is an adventure, and your crush may or may be part of yours. That’s the whole surprise!
o
Fear of rejection is similar to the fear of the
unknown, but must be tackled differently.
Here, you need to not only be open to the unknown but know that your
identity and acceptance is in CHRIST not in someone else.
#6) DELIGHT
·
If it unfolds, delight in falling in love. It’s a beautiful beautiful thing, something
Jesus loves.