What exactly is the golden rule of Christian dating? The truth is, the golden rule differs from one Christian to another. For one, it might be avoiding any physical contact with their boyfriend/girlfriend. For others, there should be no kissing until marriage. But despite the differences, there is still something that intertwines these rules together, and that is the word of God and your love for God. Here's a new perspective on Christian dating to ponder on.
Love God
Let's open the discussion with the verse from Mark 12:30. It says:
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.
Before opening your heart to someone else, you must love the Lord first with everything you have. You must realize that only God holds our heart and in Him, we can find the most profound joy and happiness. No boyfriend/girlfriend can give you this feeling. Give God everything – your heart, soul, and mind. The more focused you are on God, the less distracted you will be with dating. When you are focused on your commitment and faith, the less likely you will fall into temptation.
Author Stephen Chbosky once said, "We accept the love we think we deserve." This is true in so many ways. If you love God, then you believe that you are valuable and worthy of being His child. In turn, you will have this confidence and belief that you only deserve the best, because God will only give you the best. On the other hand, if you are fixated on the mere idea of dating for a romantic connection, then you are not prioritizing your best interests.
Get Support
You must realize that you cannot do this alone. Apart from getting strength from God, you will not achieve your dating goals without the support of your Christian friends. These are people who do not only have your best interest at heart, but they are the ones who will say it like it really is. True friends will not beat around the bush if they think that something is wrong with your relationship. Since they love God first, their primary obligation is to help you and as they are - hopefully - not in love with the same person you are, they can be more objective.
Thessalonians 5:11 says: "Therefore encourage one another and build one another up."
In this verse alone, you can trust that your friends will only want what is best for you and your relationship. A common issue when dating is that you spend more time with your boyfriend/girlfriend. As a result, this is pushing you away from time with God and your church community. Thus, you must lean on these people who will not be afraid to tell you what God wants you to hear and pull you back when they feel you are wandering away.
Your Golden Rule
Rounding it up, what do you think is your golden rule? Is it to always put God first? If you have covered that, will your golden rule be surrounding yourself with true friends? Bear in mind that God will not let you go through the challenges alone. However, you must also have accountability for your actions. You cannot simply rely on the help of others or signs from God to tell you what you are doing is already wrong. Instead, the ability to discern should come from you, and it should be based on how much you know God and His instructions.
Christian dating is very tricky as there are plenty and different sets of rules to follow. But at the end of the day, it will boil down to you and your faith. We won't tell you what your golden rule must be, but we will tell you to always focus on the Lord, and everything will flow from there. Do not hesitate to seek help to make your relationship a successful one.
