Firefly and Dating...Conclusion
(continued from last post...)
As I widened my circle of friends this semester, it came up and hit me in the face that if I'm loving God and loving people, I'm headed for a strong clash with the position of "dating is bad". How could I love the people around me and yet condemn them for dating? The two things seem mutually exclusive, and I know which one is wrong. (Hint: If you say that loving people is a bad thing, you're wrong.)
My world was further disturbed by a question from one of the young ladies in my class. A young man in my class has a habit of starting random conversations, then leaving - "thought grenade"-like. Elliot was walking through the computer lab asking random questions. He passed me, and asked "So, Larson, how many girlfriends have you had?" Being a good homeschooler, I answered "Zero," and was obliged to add "I don't date." Seeing as I sorta picked the "fight", and seeing as I was doing homework with myself and two young ladies, I was thereby compelled to explain my statement. Since I've held the same opinion for several years, I have most of the basic tenets down. Stuff like "Serial dating sets a bad precedent for a lifelong marriage", and "constructing a false personality for a date is counter-productive; if you end up marrying them, they won't be marrying the person you've constructed."
After Elliot left, Andrea asked a simple question that took me aback. "So, when you meet someone that you feel might have marriage potential, are you going to date them?" Well, with the background that I've had, my reaction (as opposed to response) was going to be "Heck no." Then I realized that in the context of others, that answer would be inappropriate and hurtful. The more I thought about it, the less of a response I had, and so I never answered Andie's question.
It may seem predictable when I tell you that 2 weeks later, God told me I should ask Andie out. The first time He said it, I responded like any good "ex-homeschooler" - "No way!" It's not that Andie isn't a nice young lady, it's that I don't date. The only way that I can explain it is that God was insistent that I should ask her out. Because I'm a little slow on the uptake, I wanted to make sure. I sought counsel from a variety of sources because I was sure that someone would tell me that I was crazy. To my great surprise, nobody did.
In faith, I asked Andie over for dinner, then to a school concert. As I had seen before, God took a good thing and made it a great thing. Through a strange set of circumstances, we ended up at a friend's house hearing his cousin and cousin-in-law tell us about how God reached in and worked in their lives, a common thread for Andie and I in our conversations that week.
Without boring you to death, I will end with one more word picture. My life lately has been a walk in the dark. The path is strange to me, and I have no idea where it leads. Once in a while the lighning flashes and I am floored by God's love and wondrous plan. Then it goes dark again, and the trudge resumes. This semester in particular, I've seen the hand that God holds out to me. He holds out His hand to me both because He loves me and because He can see the path and wants to lead me down it. When my hand is firmly in His, I will not stumble, and if I do, He'll be there to help me up. One step at a time, He will lead me down His path. Around this path, before me, behind me, and around me, are people who can sometimes see my path better than I. Sometimes they cheer me on, and other times they caution me about obstacles in my way.
However, I have two hands. One is in God's hand. The other, however, is a different story. By the grace of God, Andie (Andrea) walks beside me, with her hand in God's and the other in mine (figuratively. OK, maybe sometimes literally). Neither of us are sure where the path leads, but both of us are sure that God has led us here.
Worthy is the Lamb who was slain! Worthy to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and glory! (from Handel's Messiah) God is so great, and the plans we make that seem so important are really dust to be blown away from His master plan.
Thank you for reading this torrent of words. I hope that it encourages you, wherever you are in life. Sometimes God asks us to do crazy things. If we step out in faith, He will meet us there and do incredible things. I would love to share some of the things He's done in my life, even when I was just considering this "dating thing." I would be happy to share, but in light of my current circumstances, I believe the message may be clouded. Therefore, I will wait for the opportune moment. (sorry, bad movie reference)
This torrent of words has lessened to a trickle, maybe even a rivulet, and will now cease. As always, thanks for reading and thinking. I ask that you keep me (and "us") in your prayers-that we would trust God completely and never stray from His perfect plan.
God Bless!
As I widened my circle of friends this semester, it came up and hit me in the face that if I'm loving God and loving people, I'm headed for a strong clash with the position of "dating is bad". How could I love the people around me and yet condemn them for dating? The two things seem mutually exclusive, and I know which one is wrong. (Hint: If you say that loving people is a bad thing, you're wrong.)
My world was further disturbed by a question from one of the young ladies in my class. A young man in my class has a habit of starting random conversations, then leaving - "thought grenade"-like. Elliot was walking through the computer lab asking random questions. He passed me, and asked "So, Larson, how many girlfriends have you had?" Being a good homeschooler, I answered "Zero," and was obliged to add "I don't date." Seeing as I sorta picked the "fight", and seeing as I was doing homework with myself and two young ladies, I was thereby compelled to explain my statement. Since I've held the same opinion for several years, I have most of the basic tenets down. Stuff like "Serial dating sets a bad precedent for a lifelong marriage", and "constructing a false personality for a date is counter-productive; if you end up marrying them, they won't be marrying the person you've constructed."
After Elliot left, Andrea asked a simple question that took me aback. "So, when you meet someone that you feel might have marriage potential, are you going to date them?" Well, with the background that I've had, my reaction (as opposed to response) was going to be "Heck no." Then I realized that in the context of others, that answer would be inappropriate and hurtful. The more I thought about it, the less of a response I had, and so I never answered Andie's question.
It may seem predictable when I tell you that 2 weeks later, God told me I should ask Andie out. The first time He said it, I responded like any good "ex-homeschooler" - "No way!" It's not that Andie isn't a nice young lady, it's that I don't date. The only way that I can explain it is that God was insistent that I should ask her out. Because I'm a little slow on the uptake, I wanted to make sure. I sought counsel from a variety of sources because I was sure that someone would tell me that I was crazy. To my great surprise, nobody did.
In faith, I asked Andie over for dinner, then to a school concert. As I had seen before, God took a good thing and made it a great thing. Through a strange set of circumstances, we ended up at a friend's house hearing his cousin and cousin-in-law tell us about how God reached in and worked in their lives, a common thread for Andie and I in our conversations that week.
Without boring you to death, I will end with one more word picture. My life lately has been a walk in the dark. The path is strange to me, and I have no idea where it leads. Once in a while the lighning flashes and I am floored by God's love and wondrous plan. Then it goes dark again, and the trudge resumes. This semester in particular, I've seen the hand that God holds out to me. He holds out His hand to me both because He loves me and because He can see the path and wants to lead me down it. When my hand is firmly in His, I will not stumble, and if I do, He'll be there to help me up. One step at a time, He will lead me down His path. Around this path, before me, behind me, and around me, are people who can sometimes see my path better than I. Sometimes they cheer me on, and other times they caution me about obstacles in my way.
However, I have two hands. One is in God's hand. The other, however, is a different story. By the grace of God, Andie (Andrea) walks beside me, with her hand in God's and the other in mine (figuratively. OK, maybe sometimes literally). Neither of us are sure where the path leads, but both of us are sure that God has led us here.
Worthy is the Lamb who was slain! Worthy to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and glory! (from Handel's Messiah) God is so great, and the plans we make that seem so important are really dust to be blown away from His master plan.
Thank you for reading this torrent of words. I hope that it encourages you, wherever you are in life. Sometimes God asks us to do crazy things. If we step out in faith, He will meet us there and do incredible things. I would love to share some of the things He's done in my life, even when I was just considering this "dating thing." I would be happy to share, but in light of my current circumstances, I believe the message may be clouded. Therefore, I will wait for the opportune moment. (sorry, bad movie reference)
This torrent of words has lessened to a trickle, maybe even a rivulet, and will now cease. As always, thanks for reading and thinking. I ask that you keep me (and "us") in your prayers-that we would trust God completely and never stray from His perfect plan.
God Bless!
posted by The student of life at 10:03 AM
2 Comments:
God bless you as you continue to experience true freedom in your obedient walk of faith with Him. It is a joy to read how you are finding abundant life and peace in the FREEDOM Christ brings.
So now he's got a blog, eh? I liked the post, I can relate completely. It's good to see your spiritual walk is doing very well!
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