Premature Love Detracts From Spiritual Growth
SURE SIGNS THAT YOU’RE TOO SERIOUS IN HIGH SCHOOL
A few years ago, an adult lady wrote me a letter. She had spent her teen years in our church youth group and had gone to college, met a wonderful Christian guy and had begun serving the Lord together. In the letter she thanked our church for discouraging the teens from dating or from becoming emotionally involved in high school. You see, when she went to Bible college, she made quite a few friends from another good, solid church; a church just like ours, with one exception: they encouraged teen couples. She told me in the letter that almost all of her new girlfriends from churches that encouraged dating had ”messed up” with their high school sweetheart. This ranged from necking and petting, to actual fornication. In her letter she said that when she was in high school, she wished she could have a boyfriend, but it never worked out. Now, she was one of the few in her circle of friends that did not have the regrets of premature emotional and spiritual baggage. You can imagine how thrilled I was to receive this letter. By the way, we aren’t against boys and girls liking each other, of course they will. But we try to help them temper their emotional attachment.
Christian teens that grow up in families, youth groups, or churches where teenage dating is discouraged (as I am so glad that I did) may find themselves thinking that because they aren’t actually “dating”, then there can be no way that they could be too serious. This is not true. It is very easy to become emotionally involved before it is time. Therefore, I am posting a list of 14 signs that your relationship is too serious in high school.
1. That special someone expects you be with them whenever they are around.
2. Others expect you to always be together whenever you are around each other.
3. You won’t attend youth activities unless you know they will be there or unless you’ve checked with them first (to see if you’ll be there or if the activity is cool enough to attend).
4. It would depress or devastate you if you weren’t together at an activity.
5. His or her daily happiness depends on you.
6. You are thinking about marriage as an escape from your current situation(s).
7. You get instantly jealous if he/she talks to others another guy/girl.
8. You get mad at your friends if they talk to him/her while you are currently mad at him/her.
9. You get mad if he/she gets any counsel about your relationship.
10. You get hurt or mad if he/she doesn’t come and talk to you without your asking him/her to.
11. You would be devastated if someone who had your best interests at heart (a pastor, youth pastor, parent, etc.) would tell you that you should break up.
12. If someone stuck their hand between the locked eyes of your sappy stare at each other, their hand would receive an electric shock.
13. You work at your relationship with them more than you do at your relationship with God.
14. You run God’s plan for your future through the filter of “what are they going to do” or “what are they going to think,” rather than just following God’s will regardless of their plans.
Thank you for this post. I have been praying alot recently about entering into a relationship. Thanks for the pointers!