One of the most important decisions a Christian can make in their life is deciding when they want to date and who they want to date.
Many Christians are taught from an early age how meaningful Christian relationships are and how important it is to know whether or not you’re ready to enter into a relationship.
Christianity is a hugely relational religion, and because of that, it’s essential for those thinking about getting into a relationship to feel ready and prepared to actually enter into it.
God calls a number of His followers to not only live in a community with other like-minded Christians but also to be fruitful and multiply. This is just a reference to one of the many Bible verses that outline the importance of marriage and relationships to the Christian faith.
Of course, not every Christian is called to be in a relationship, and some are called to have a life of singleness. Still, the majority of Christians are called to live in relationships with one another as the purest form of love that we can experience in this world is a reflection of the way that God loves us.
Because of the importance and emphasis that is often put on Christians as they enter into a relationship, it’s also important that Christians do not take relationships for granted or lightly. They ought to be prepared and ready when they enter into the world of dating, and they ought to be excited for all of the moments that are to come because of the blessing that is Christian relationships.
It takes a lot of wisdom and a lot of dedication to be able to sit down and decide whether or not you think that you’re ready to enter into a new relationship or if you believe that you still need a bit of time to feel comfortable enough to enter into your new stage of life and accept all that comes with that.
You don’t want to get into something that you’re not sure you want to also finish, and you want to avoid jumping into the world of relationships if you’re not ready.
Suppose you’re a Christian and you want to be ready to get into a relationship, or you are at the stage in your life when you’re prepared to at least start thinking about all that it would entail to be ready for a relationship. In that case, this article is for you.
Christian Relationships
One of the main differences between Christian and secular relationships is that Christians will often date to marry.
This means that while some Christians do like to have a casual relationship as they’re trying to figure out the world of dating, who they like, and who they don’t like, for the most part, Christians date with the intention of marrying whomever they’re spending that much time with.
This is one of the main reasons why it’s so crucial for Christians to enter into their relationships knowing that they’re ready for everything that the future may hold for them and excited for all of the blessings that God will bring them.
Getting into a relationship and choosing who you’re going to date is not something that should be taken lightly. In fact, it might be the most important decision you make in your life.
While God will be there for you throughout your decision-making process and guide your steps, He also granted us free will and a brain, so we often tend to make mistakes when we rely too heavily on those two things without reflecting back on God’s truth.
Because of the emphasis and importance placed on marriage and dating, Christians must know whether or not they’re ready to date before they jump into it.
Feeling confident that you’re ready to enter into such a critical chapter in your life can be a tough decision to make because there’s a lot of self-assessment and, often, a lot of asking your Christian community around you whether or not they think you’re ready.
Sometimes, even after you’ve taken the time to pray and reflect on your life and you’ve presented your desires and wants to God, letting Him know that you want to be in a relationship with someone and you want to be ready to find love, the answer is still not what you want to hear. But sometimes, it’s precisely what you want to hear.
If you’re curious about how you can know whether or not you’re ready to get into a relationship with someone and you want a bit of guidance during this time of your life, then keep reading!
Here are some of the clearest and best ways to tell when you’re ready for a relationship.
1. When You Can Surrender Control and Give It to God
For a Christian, being ready for a relationship often means that you’re prepared for whatever God brings your way, whether it is someone that you’re expecting or not.
This is not only something that has to happen for you to move forward in your life, as God is always going to be the one in charge, and it is usually best for you to accept that fact before you can move anywhere or do anything, it also shows maturity in your faith life.
While Christians all know and understand that God is in charge and control of this crazy world, it’s often a bit more difficult for us to put that faith into practice once the rubber hits the road.
We might talk about how much we trust God and know that He will provide what’s best for us, and we might even know that. But when it comes to something as necessary and personal as our relationships, it’s often hard for us to give up the power that we think we have and give all of our worries to God.
When you’re ready for a relationship, you need to be prepared for any relationship, meaning whatever God brings you, it’s going to be okay, and you’re going to trust that it’s what’s best for you in the long run.
Many Christians go about their lives and try to plan or assume who they’re going to marry every chance they get. And while it’s nice to think about your future and plan for good, there is also a lot of peace that can come to you when you decide to give up all of the control and planning and send it back to God.
Because, after all, God has always been in charge, and when you put your faith and trust in Him and His plan for you, you’re fully surrendering to the fact that He’s only going to give you what’s best for you.
2. When You Don’t Feel as Though You Need a Relationship
Although this isn’t necessarily a strictly Christian indicator of whether or not you’re ready for a relationship, it’s one of the best ways to judge if you’re ready to get into a relationship.
There are so many stories about people finding their partners and their person the second after they stopped looking.
While many may view this meeting time as ironic or romantic, it’s an indicator of something much more important.
If you’re looking to get into a relationship and you’re approaching the world of dating from a place of need, then you’re never going to find the right person for you. That’s mainly because you’re going to be so desperate to fill a void in your life that you’re not going to be able to put enough thought and care into who you choose to fill that void.
Not to mention, if you’re approaching your romantic life with the idea that you need to date someone to achieve whatever goal you’re going after — whether that’s success, wealth, or even innocent romance, you’re going to be too busy chasing after someone who will fulfill that goal for you to think about the long-term effects of your relationship and how you might feel about them after you’ve reached that goal.
In general, if you’re itching to be in a relationship for any reason other than you feel as though God led you to them or you feel at peace when you’re with them, then you’re not going to find the right person for you. You’re not going to achieve whatever it is you think you’re going to achieve by getting into a relationship.
Instead, when you feel like you’re content in your life without a relationship and don’t need anything from anyone else, you’re going to be at your healthiest. You’re going to be able to give yourself the space and time you need to get into the right relationship for you.
3. When the Trusted People in Your Life Say That You’re Ready
This is one of the hardest things to assess by yourself, so spend a little time reflecting on your personal life, but we will also encourage you to talk to people in your life who have wisdom.
We talk a lot about how Christianity is such a community-based religion and how God calls His believers to live in community with each other and to go to each other when they have a question or need guidance.
This is one of the best times to do that. If you’re not sure that you’re spiritually mature enough to get into a relationship with someone, then you can go to others in your life and ask them about their opinions.
God commands His followers to have mentors and wise people in their lives so that they’re not only relying on their strengths and opinions.
Also, when it’s a personal question like this, and you have a lot of thoughts and emotions tied up in whatever answer you’re going to get, it’s hard, if not impossible, for you to be impartial about the results. You might not be able to fully give a genuine, honest answer.
But if you’ve already been to the trusted people in your life and you’re still not sure, we always will encourage you to spend some time in the Word and in prayer that God will show you the answer.
If you ask God to show you whether or not you’re ready for a relationship, He’s not going to be shy about it. He will break down your walls and let you know.
Once you’ve spent the proper amount of time in prayer and reflecting on your life and your faith, the answer to whether or not you’re ready to get into a relationship is pretty straightforward.
4. When You Feel as Though You’re the Healthiest Version of You
By now, we’re sure you’ve heard that for you to be in the healthiest relationship of your life, you need to be the healthiest version of yourself first. This isn’t a semi-cliche saying for no reason; it’s an incredibly true statement.
If you aren’t sure that you’re ready for a relationship, then you need to check in on yourself and see if you feel as though you’re the healthiest version of yourself.
Most, if not all, of these points mentioned above, are going to be cleared up if you’re healthy in your own life and your relationship with God is at its best. Because when you’re at your best, you’re able to know that it’s okay to take your time choosing your partner and be patient when the perfect person doesn’t come your way immediately.
A healthy person knows that rushing into a relationship isn’t going to solve anything and that they don’t need to be in a relationship to achieve any goals or become anyone. They can rest easy knowing that was is good will find its way to them, and they can’t do anything about it.
Also, being single and being on your own is an excellent time to start your journey to becoming the healthiest version of yourself, getting more familiar with God, and improving your faith life as much as possible.
There won’t be too many other times in your life when you’re going to be alone. Your only priority is going to be yourself and your faith, so take advantage of your time as a single person and work on being the best version of yourself so that you can then attract the best kind of people to you as well.
While many Christians are called to marriage, and a number of them will eventually end up there, there are also many Christians who are called to have seasons of singleness that prepare them to be at their healthiest when they do get into a relationship. This might be the time that God has set aside to prepare you for your future spouse.
A Final Word of Encouragement
We understand just how stressful it can be to be a Christian while also trying to figure out when you’re ready to date, who you should date, and whether or not the person you’re looking to date is going to be the best option for you.
It’s a lot to put on anyone’s plate, not to mention the added stress that dating adds by itself.
Hopefully, our guide and our advice helped clear a few things up for you when it comes to deciding whether or not you’re ready to date. It also might help to enlighten you about whether you think that God is going to bless a relationship you’re getting into or if you’re just moving the process too far forward and you’re dating to fulfill a need or a lack in yourself rather than dating to honor God.
If you’ve read this far and you’re a bit discouraged because you didn’t get the answer you wanted and don’t feel at peace about saying that you’re ready to date, that’s okay!
If you’ve come to the conclusion that you’re not in a place in your life where you think you’re ready to get into a relationship, one of the first steps that you can take to get prepared is to believe that truth — that God has got it all figured out and He’s going to bless you when you listen to Him, and you follow His commandments.
Although right now might not be the time for you to date, your time is coming, and it’s going to be sweeter than you could ever have imagined.
