girlfriend/boyfriend!?
because of whatever reason (or God's sense of humor), people have been coming up to me for relationship advice.
why? i dunno. but i digress.
here's essentially the advice/thoughts/opinions i have regarding this very serious and muy importante issue for most people. now, i must add that i am by no means a relationship expert, nor do i ever plan on being one. i just go by my experiences and what i can discern from where im at now. (not an exhaustive list)
1. be careful and discern your emotions.
if i had a dollar for every action i made based on my emotions in which i later regretted, i would probably be a gajillionaire. be very very wise and careful of your emotional feelings. even to begin with, our emotions are so fickle and prone to change. we dont want to be guided by our feelings but be guided by God's discernment and His Spirit. be ultra wary of your emotions. dont just go off of them. process them.
2. talk to people about this.
not just one person. not just the person that you know will give you the answer you want to hear. talk to a counselor. someone you look up to. a pastor. a staff. anyone that could put your feelings and situation against an objective white wall and give you insight that you are probably too clouded to see for yourself.
3. patience is tough, but most times necessary.
sometimes, God is telling us to wait. usually because youre not ready. she's not ready. youre both not ready. your wallet is not ready. whatever.
im also not saying that you have to wait till you have a burning bush experience or a dreamlike revelation from God telling you in a loud, billowing voice, "GO FOR IT CHAMP."
but in a day and age where everything is so instant, and NOW NOW NOW, learn to exercise patience and wait for the appropriate time to exercise your faith in pursuing after someone.
4. remember faith? yeah that thing. exercise it.
God has a wonderful plan for your life. He does. regardless of the fact that some of it will be in hardship, some of it will also be in His gracious goodness. He has someone out there for you. if not the person you like now, whoever you end up with, if you did it with God's leading, you will for sure love that person to itty bitty bits and noone else will matter at that point. not even that girl/guy that you are crushing on so hardcore right now. yep. its true! trust in Him. His leadership in your life is absolutely perfect.
5. how's your relationship with Him these days?
it must always go back to this conviction. yes, you can glorify God through your relationship. yes, God probably did not call you to a life of celibacy. but there's a reason why Paul chose to be celibate. he understood that there was no greater joy, and love that he could experience in this life, other than the love of His Savior.
you say you really like this person. how much do you like your Savior?
6. this is NOT the most important issue in your life...probably. Jesus is coming!
i made a passing joke/remark at gethsemane prayer meeting where i basically said that if Jesus were to return tomorrow, most poeple would automatically feel jipped and saddened because they could not experience marriage. but i am reminded that the Word tells us that God is love. God is joy. being with Him means experiencing perfect love, perfect joy forever and ever and ever and ever!......etc etc. (but i must honestly confess, i am part of the number that would feel jipped a little...heh. but we must not believe this to be true!)
---------------------
as for me?
i had an epiphany in the shower today(where i feel most epiphanies originate from)
there's farrrrr more importance and significance God wants me to place in any future relationships in my life. i am by no means "ready" for one, but i wonder, will i ever be?
but nonetheless, i would like to be more "ready".
for me, i put it to 4-fold gut check.
how is my:
1. spiritual stewardship (do i love the Lord first and foremost?)
2. other relationship stewardship (do my friends and family feel loved by me?)
3. financial stewardship (do i lovingly embrace all that God has allocated to me and am i being a wise spender?)
4. physical stewardship (do i love and care for my body?)
okay i wrote way too much but again, this isnt an exhaustive list of things. just on my mind.
hope it helps!
i pray that we will all understand and know the love of the Lord first and foremost - so that we would love our significant others with the same type of love.
1 john 4:19 - we love because He first loved us.
why? i dunno. but i digress.
here's essentially the advice/thoughts/opinions i have regarding this very serious and muy importante issue for most people. now, i must add that i am by no means a relationship expert, nor do i ever plan on being one. i just go by my experiences and what i can discern from where im at now. (not an exhaustive list)
1. be careful and discern your emotions.
if i had a dollar for every action i made based on my emotions in which i later regretted, i would probably be a gajillionaire. be very very wise and careful of your emotional feelings. even to begin with, our emotions are so fickle and prone to change. we dont want to be guided by our feelings but be guided by God's discernment and His Spirit. be ultra wary of your emotions. dont just go off of them. process them.
2. talk to people about this.
not just one person. not just the person that you know will give you the answer you want to hear. talk to a counselor. someone you look up to. a pastor. a staff. anyone that could put your feelings and situation against an objective white wall and give you insight that you are probably too clouded to see for yourself.
3. patience is tough, but most times necessary.
sometimes, God is telling us to wait. usually because youre not ready. she's not ready. youre both not ready. your wallet is not ready. whatever.
im also not saying that you have to wait till you have a burning bush experience or a dreamlike revelation from God telling you in a loud, billowing voice, "GO FOR IT CHAMP."
but in a day and age where everything is so instant, and NOW NOW NOW, learn to exercise patience and wait for the appropriate time to exercise your faith in pursuing after someone.
4. remember faith? yeah that thing. exercise it.
God has a wonderful plan for your life. He does. regardless of the fact that some of it will be in hardship, some of it will also be in His gracious goodness. He has someone out there for you. if not the person you like now, whoever you end up with, if you did it with God's leading, you will for sure love that person to itty bitty bits and noone else will matter at that point. not even that girl/guy that you are crushing on so hardcore right now. yep. its true! trust in Him. His leadership in your life is absolutely perfect.
5. how's your relationship with Him these days?
it must always go back to this conviction. yes, you can glorify God through your relationship. yes, God probably did not call you to a life of celibacy. but there's a reason why Paul chose to be celibate. he understood that there was no greater joy, and love that he could experience in this life, other than the love of His Savior.
you say you really like this person. how much do you like your Savior?
6. this is NOT the most important issue in your life...probably. Jesus is coming!
i made a passing joke/remark at gethsemane prayer meeting where i basically said that if Jesus were to return tomorrow, most poeple would automatically feel jipped and saddened because they could not experience marriage. but i am reminded that the Word tells us that God is love. God is joy. being with Him means experiencing perfect love, perfect joy forever and ever and ever and ever!......etc etc. (but i must honestly confess, i am part of the number that would feel jipped a little...heh. but we must not believe this to be true!)
---------------------
as for me?
i had an epiphany in the shower today(where i feel most epiphanies originate from)
there's farrrrr more importance and significance God wants me to place in any future relationships in my life. i am by no means "ready" for one, but i wonder, will i ever be?
but nonetheless, i would like to be more "ready".
for me, i put it to 4-fold gut check.
how is my:
1. spiritual stewardship (do i love the Lord first and foremost?)
2. other relationship stewardship (do my friends and family feel loved by me?)
3. financial stewardship (do i lovingly embrace all that God has allocated to me and am i being a wise spender?)
4. physical stewardship (do i love and care for my body?)
okay i wrote way too much but again, this isnt an exhaustive list of things. just on my mind.
hope it helps!
i pray that we will all understand and know the love of the Lord first and foremost - so that we would love our significant others with the same type of love.
1 john 4:19 - we love because He first loved us.
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