Crossing The Line...

23,

                So I’m sure as any fellow Christians reading this blog will understand, it is a big ass no no to date and/or pursue a future life with a non-believer. It (Spiritual belief system) is not only one of the massive contributors to one of the many topics that will set off a social hell fire storm, and the main cause of the many spats throughout history, but it is also the deepest way in which two people can bond. Seeing two different directions on this kind of matter can not only tear apart the relationship, but it can also distort your own personal belief system, thus subtly chipping away at your spiritual safety. We, as Christians, have great faith that God has someone out there planned for each person specifically. I realize that we always assume that the person you are meant to be with will be in agreement with you on these deeper levels…but what if the one God has planned for you is not a believer? What happens then? You chase it and you chase it, going through heart ache after heart ache, only to find the end of the road the one person you have spent so much time searching for, only to have it occur to you that they are missing a key piece of themselves. They are, initially, a trigger happy human, standing there holding the barrel to their head. You have no guarantee they will continue to live, as long as that barrel is pressed up against their head. However, as you try to explain to them that they are in danger, they believe that they are still in control of the trigger, though they are not. It is undeniably the most impossible task; to talk to them and get them to put the gun down. It would not do the situation justice to compare to walking on glass or eggshells or hot coals. There is no description that would rationalize the feelings that one will suffer from when thrown into this life or death situation. You just kind of want to walk over there, grab the gun, hit them over the head with it, and ask them if they really are as irrevocably stupid as they’re acting. Sometimes you find people who are like that, and you wish to repay them in term of the kindness that they showed you. Sometimes, you may feel as if you must travel through life with this person to make sure they don’t pick that gun back up. You wish to keep them safe, even if it means that on occasion, you have to struggle with them to pull the gun away. Maybe, God did not put them into your life to benefit you, but He out you in their life, so as to give the kind hearted, innocent human being a chance at a beautiful life…and one even more so, not on earth.

                ……..Not that any of this reflects on anything personal…just though we should touch on this topic, seeing as we haven’t yet……..

                I’m not quite sure how to follow up on that, so I’m gonna hand you guys over to 13’s more uplifting post…

13,

                Morning ladies :) I think there’s a lot of pressure on the Christian ladies of our society. Shout out to my Christian lovelies because a lot of us are unfairly held to a higher standard than the nice atheist girl standing next to us. If you’re dedicatedly religious and look the part, you’re expected to make wise decisions with relationships and possibly only date one man before you marry. Whether from family or friends or the church, there’s this pressure to be the example of a ‘godly woman’; Although, does having very little dating experience make you godly? Or visa versa? (*whispers* the answer’s no!) At the same time, I have experienced situations where people think I have all the answers because I’m “Christian”. Did you know my favorite song is called “Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off”? Yah, bet you didn’t know that from my precious flowery exterior. Take away: looks are deceiving and so are labels. It is unfair to consider the disciples of the All-Knowing God to be “all-knowing”. I’m not saying I don’t give good advice, but I should not be looked as the one representation of good dating skills *23 laughs hysterically because that is so true* There’s a reason why we’re called disciples in our religion. We’re human, therefore we’re certainly not perfect, we make mistakes, get angry and cry over the silliest things, and ARE TEENAGE GIRLS; just like those we walk with in the school hallway. That’s a concept the older generation just cannot get. Don’t they remember what it was like to be an adolescent? 23 and I may have it more together than other girls our age, but that doesn’t mean we’re the example of Christian dating. That doesn’t mean we can’t make mistakes and get too caught up in cloud 9.

                Now that we got that expressed, someone in the world needs to hear about what Christian dating even is. Christian dating is more focused on what God has planned for you. It’s a super personalized idea usually and you won’t find a true Christian with the same concept as another. Some really don’t date because they believe God has someone already picked out that will come their way. Some feel free to put themselves out there and date other Christians. There’s also no shame in dating someone who isn’t Christian (it’s just unbeneficial for the relationship because you’ll eventually clash). There are a few standards that I think the general Christian girl can agree on though. Ready for a list?

                We desire someone with “similar beliefs” on up to “on fire for Jesus” like some of us someone who brings you closer to God than himself

someone who’s good looking in your eyes

someone who’s honest and compassionate

someone who gets along with family and friends

someone who encourages you to show your better qualities

someone who you can depend on

someone who makes you laugh

someone who’s monogamous (it’s an individual desire and some girls don’t care as long as they’re the last!)

                Every girl has specifics like sharing his tomatoes with you or sliding the extra fries over because he knows you love them. It’s all pretty specific, but, Christian dating is all about letting a higher power guide the relationship and depending on slow burgeoning to strengthen the relationship before moving forward. If you can’t tell already, yes, us Christian gals are a little more hard to get to and we pack a punch if you try anything sneaky. It’s all in good thought though. We value ourselves; therefore we want to protect our own hearts. We don’t want to mess up ourselves and have a bunch of baggage come the time we find someone we click with. Even nonreligious ladies have that together, but for some reason you don’t see it that often :( In conclusion, there are lessons and good tips we’ve learned from our Christian mothers which has brought us through high school without completely messing up :P but at the same time we get pressures from a lot of people to make the right choice, whatever that is! Christian dating is a hassle, and I’d rather find my own way with it. I know in most cases the people who so dearly care for me just don’t know how to express “be careful” without seeming controlling, but I still feel that icky feeling and almost hide from dating. It’s a downward spiral! Nonetheless, I WILL find my own way with dating, and no one should be telling me how to do it but Jesus. He’s kind of a romantic anyway, so I don’t mind ;) As encouragement to all of you, whether you’re a part of a church or not, define dating by your own thoughts and not anyone else’s or by a silly doctrine. Dating is about you and another person, not the whole world or the whole church. Be strong in your beliefs, whether they can be categorized or not. Be as mentally resilient as your nether region, okay?! Alright, I should stop :P

Adieu and many other wishful goodbyes till next week,

13