Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Dating.

Long time no...blog? Read? Write? Whatever the case, it's nice to blog again. The past month or so since my last post has just been a whirlwind of finals, packing, goodbyes, and insanity.


This morning I took my GRE, and beasted it!!! SUCH a load of. I realize I'm not going to grad school for another 1.5-2 years, but taking it now was my best option and was definitely worth it. So I now can relish in the next 2 weeks of my "summer" before summer school starts and will last until about 2 weeks before the fall semester begins. I'm terrified/exciting/anxious/intrigued by my summer school classes (Anatomy I & II). I have heard HORROR stories about how hard it is and what a GPA killer it can be (which I totally can't afford), thus I am taking it this summer when it's all I have to worry about.

Health wise there isn't really much to say. I got my brace a couple weeks ago that I'm supposed to be wearing most of the time, or really whenever I feel like I need it. It's really helpful, and makes walking slightly easier in a way (and harder at the same time) and makes the pain less....I just have to suck it up now that summer is here and people can see it when I wear shorts.

What really has been on my heart lately is dating. Please don't tune me out just yet! I know many people might be thinking "Ugh, typical girl...wants to talk about dating and boys." I promise this will be worth while...well, at least I hope so. It was for me at least. Obviously dating is on everyone's mind at some point, and to some degree. I feel like recently it's been on mine more than usual, whether it's in reference to my life or others talking to me about their relationships. Two Sundays ago my pastor started a new series that is going from Mother's Day to Father's Day called The Game of Life...each Sunday talking about an important issue. In fact, the last few months of last year he allowed us to text/email/call/write in things that we wanted to be talked about, and this series is a mash up and compilation of many of those issues - which is pretty legit if you ask me.

I bet you've guessed it by now, but this past Sunday he talked about dating. Questions about dating to be more specific. It was a really great message, and I know that several of my friends have asked me about it so I'm posting my notes and a few of my personal insights on here - here's hoping it helps someone else like it did me.

Q: Is dating biblical?
A: The biblical model is courtship.
                                      Song of Solomon 1:7

          Standards were extremely high
          Families were involved
          Access was conditional
                                      Song 2:15

Q: What should I look for in a husband/wife?
A: Someone who loves AND fears the Lord
                                      Isaiah 11:2
Being a girl, I wrote down what he said specifically about guys. He said there are 3 extremely important things to look for when asking yourself if a certain guy is "the one."
  • How does he spend his money? (Note: it's not HOW much money he has, but how he spends what he does have)
  • What entertains him?? (Are they dirty jokes and crude movies or off-color humor)
  • Watch him lose. Watching how a guy loses is extremely relevant in his behavior with the rest of life. If he punches things and gets really angry when he loses - what's to say you won't be behind his fist one day?                   
For a girl the things he mentioned were:
  • How does she dress? There's a way to look beautiful without accentuating certain parts or being immodest.
  • How does she talk about other people? Does she gossip incessantly and always put others down, or does she always speak encouragingly about others?
  • How does she act when she doesn't get her way?
Q: How can I make the most of being single?
A: Accept your circumstances
                                                Phil 4:11
A: Adopt God's standards
                                                1 Thes 4:3
           - A really interesting insight into this verse that I never knew before - the word "holy" in this verse is translated from the word literally meaning fine china. When is fine china used?? For special occasions. God's will is for us to be holy. To be fine china. YOU are made SPECIAL. Not for everyday use. You're what is brought out for special events and big celebrations.

A: Utilize your freedom
                                                1 Cor 7:32-34 

 This was a really great message on dating. Our society casts a negative light on being single sometimes, which is so not the case. Marriage is an incredible, Christ breathed thing and is meant to be enjoyed and that's how God planned it. But don't throw away opportunities and chances to grow and really live for Christ while you're single. When you're single all you have to worry about is serving Christ and growing your relationship with Him. Once you're married, as the last verse reference states you have someone else to worry about as well. Don't let single life slip by. That was one thing I was definitely convicted about. Yes, at times there may be a guy I like and yes, there will be times when it will drive me nuts wondering if he likes me and if we'll end up together and all those questions that come along with it. But I would HATE to not have utilized my freedom, and missed out on being all I can be when it comes to my walk.