Single and Not Sorry: Devotions of Real Encouragement for Right NowSýnishorn

One Date at a Time

For there is a time and a way for everything, although man’s trouble lies heavy on him.

ECCLESIASTES 8:6 ESV

There’s a dangerous narrative that is repeated everywhere, from movies to music to the last bridal shower you attended. It goes something like this: “When you know, you know.” While sweet, the problem with this message is the accompanying subtle and underlying pressure: when you enter the dating scene and go out with someone, you’ll know pretty quickly if you want to marry them or not. It seems like we’ve lost sight of the reason for dating: to learn about yourself, to meet others, and to help you hone in on what you’re looking for in your future mate. The pressure of deciding if you want to spend forever with this person after one cup of coffee or one walk in the park is enough to topple even the most enthusiastic among us. So hear this: whether you are currently dating or deciding whether or not to date, you do not need to decide on your future with someone right away. That’s what dating is for, and there is nothing wrong with that.

We’ve all said (or know someone who’s said) we’ve met the person we’re going to marry . . . and then we didn’t. Sometimes this is by choice, sometimes not. But sometimes you think you know, and you just don’t. Don’t succumb to the unnecessary pressure to make lifelong decisions quickly because that’s what you’ve heard others do. If you are dating, all you have to decide from one date to the next is if you’d like to spend a few more hours with that person. There is a time for everything, including making big decisions in relationships. God will be with you every step of the way, and you don’t need to feel any pressure to decide the trajectory of a relationship quickly.

Right Now Reminder:

Try not to feel any pressure to make hasty decisions. God’s got you from one minute to the next. Rest in that truth today.