Dating. This simple six letter word conjures up vivid mental images, strong emotional responses, and, often, unique and varied definitions. The act of discerning marriage necessitates dating (obvi), so if we are going to talk about discerning marriage, we definitely need to talk about dating!

 

Everyone wants the same thing – to be seen and known and loved in their raw humanity. But how do you accomplish that?

 

As we're sure you've observed, we live in a hook-up culture. Many people think dating is an antiquated concept. Relating to the opposite sex with hookups has a tendency to chew up hearts and spit them out, leaving a trail of emotionally and physically devastating wounds. These wounds have the potential to actually shut people off from the concept of real, self-sacrificial love.

 

We think there is a better way, a way to honor both people’s dignity and set the stage for authentic happiness in relationships. The cornerstone of this better way of dating is intentionality (and Jesus). True discernment is made possible when each person is intentional in the emotional, physical, and spiritual boundaries appropriate to the different stages of a dating relationship. The specific boundaries necessary have a bit of wiggle room depending on the individuals in question (and we will happily talk about which boundaries are up for debate in some upcoming blog posts) but the intentionality required is consistent.