i can't love you if you don't love Him...
How important are a person's religious beliefs when you're considering whether or not to date them?
I'm hardly perfect - far from it. But I love the Lord with my whole heart. I fully believe that Jesus walked among men, died for my sins, rose again, and sits at the right hand of God. I believe that through Him, I have the promise of eternal life. Church is important to me, worship is important to me, prayer is important to me. I don't judge other peoples' beliefs or lack therof. I am not an evangelical or a Bible thumper. Actually, I probably should be more proactive in trying to bring people to Christ, but that's another blog. The point is that while I don't shove my beliefs down peoples' throats, I certainly don't hide them.
When I was dating casually, religion wasn't that big of a deal. I've dated Christians, people who didn't believe in God at all, people who believed in God but weren't sold on the notion that Jesus was anything more than just another apostle. But at 26, I am no longer interested in casual dating. I do not see the point of investing time and energy in a man I couldn't see myself with long-term. I know the qualities I want in my husband. And at the TOP of my list, he should love me the way I believe Christ loves us. Unselfishly, unconditionally, even when my behavior doesn't warrant it. He should be someone I can pray with when times are rough. And more importantly, we should be praying to the same person. He should be a man who submits to God so that I don't mind submitting to him. He should be a man who will help me to raise our children in the fear and admonition of God.
At the same time, I sometimes wonder if I'm being too stringent. I know plenty of genuinely GOOD people who don't share my beliefs. Lots of my friends don't believe in God. More of them believe in God but are jaded when it comes to organized religion - which I also understand, given the number of churches who prefer to place their own agenda as paramount to God's word. That too is another blog. So if a man meets all of my other qualifications, is it fair to just toss him out?
I swear I was just thinking about this yesterday, and today my pastor preached from a passage in 1 Kings that spoke about Solomon and how his demise was taking wives who did not serve his God. He became distracted and allowed their differing beliefs to distance him from the God he believed in. And what struck me most was how the Bible said that at the end of the day, Solomon was left with "emptiness." And that's why I stand firm in my convictions - because I don't think I could ever have a "full" and/or fulfilling relationship with someone who does not know and love God the way I do.
Moreover, I am one of those hopelessly idealistic girls who, despite my unluckiness in love thus far, truly believes that there is one man out there that God made just for me. That the same way I pray for God to reveal him to me, he is whispering a prayer for the kind of woman the Lord is molding me to be. Mostly, I pray for patience to wait for him, discernment to know when he comes (and to know who AIN'T him), and for God to continue making me into the kind of woman that would make a good wife to the kind of man I desire. And at the end of the day, I just can't wrap my brain around the notion that God would set someone aside for me if they didn't love Him the way I do.
Anybody else ever feel this way? If you DON'T believe in God, do you care if your partner does? Or would you too prefer someone who shares your beliefs? If you are in a mixed-faith or mixed-belief relationship, are there issues? Just thinking aloud, I guess.
I'm hardly perfect - far from it. But I love the Lord with my whole heart. I fully believe that Jesus walked among men, died for my sins, rose again, and sits at the right hand of God. I believe that through Him, I have the promise of eternal life. Church is important to me, worship is important to me, prayer is important to me. I don't judge other peoples' beliefs or lack therof. I am not an evangelical or a Bible thumper. Actually, I probably should be more proactive in trying to bring people to Christ, but that's another blog. The point is that while I don't shove my beliefs down peoples' throats, I certainly don't hide them.
When I was dating casually, religion wasn't that big of a deal. I've dated Christians, people who didn't believe in God at all, people who believed in God but weren't sold on the notion that Jesus was anything more than just another apostle. But at 26, I am no longer interested in casual dating. I do not see the point of investing time and energy in a man I couldn't see myself with long-term. I know the qualities I want in my husband. And at the TOP of my list, he should love me the way I believe Christ loves us. Unselfishly, unconditionally, even when my behavior doesn't warrant it. He should be someone I can pray with when times are rough. And more importantly, we should be praying to the same person. He should be a man who submits to God so that I don't mind submitting to him. He should be a man who will help me to raise our children in the fear and admonition of God.
At the same time, I sometimes wonder if I'm being too stringent. I know plenty of genuinely GOOD people who don't share my beliefs. Lots of my friends don't believe in God. More of them believe in God but are jaded when it comes to organized religion - which I also understand, given the number of churches who prefer to place their own agenda as paramount to God's word. That too is another blog. So if a man meets all of my other qualifications, is it fair to just toss him out?
I swear I was just thinking about this yesterday, and today my pastor preached from a passage in 1 Kings that spoke about Solomon and how his demise was taking wives who did not serve his God. He became distracted and allowed their differing beliefs to distance him from the God he believed in. And what struck me most was how the Bible said that at the end of the day, Solomon was left with "emptiness." And that's why I stand firm in my convictions - because I don't think I could ever have a "full" and/or fulfilling relationship with someone who does not know and love God the way I do.
Moreover, I am one of those hopelessly idealistic girls who, despite my unluckiness in love thus far, truly believes that there is one man out there that God made just for me. That the same way I pray for God to reveal him to me, he is whispering a prayer for the kind of woman the Lord is molding me to be. Mostly, I pray for patience to wait for him, discernment to know when he comes (and to know who AIN'T him), and for God to continue making me into the kind of woman that would make a good wife to the kind of man I desire. And at the end of the day, I just can't wrap my brain around the notion that God would set someone aside for me if they didn't love Him the way I do.
Anybody else ever feel this way? If you DON'T believe in God, do you care if your partner does? Or would you too prefer someone who shares your beliefs? If you are in a mixed-faith or mixed-belief relationship, are there issues? Just thinking aloud, I guess.