Dating – is the process of evaluating whether or not we are meant to marry a particular person.
How is thinking of dating as a process that leads to marriage different than thinking of it as a status to stay in?
What problems can come if you stay in a dating relationship too long without it moving forward to marriage?
The process
A typical relationship will go through a process similar to this
Friends → Dating → Boyfriend/Girlfriend → Engaged → Married.
Each stage (except for marriage) is a time of evaluating.
FRIENDS
What are the benefits of being friends with someone before you start dating?
What kind of things should you evaluate before you start dating someone?
What would you do if a friend asked you on a date but you didn’t like them that way?
DATING
What things would be good to do on a date? Why are things like going to eat or to a park better than a movie?
What is the difference between “dating” and “boyfriend/girlfriend” (being in a committed relationship)?
BOYFRIEND/GIRLFRIEND
This phase of a relationship is meant to be a very focused time of seeing how well you fit with a person.
How well should you know someone before you enter this phase?
ENGAGED/MARRIED
How old do you hope to be when you get engaged/married?
If you are not in that stage of life now, how should that affect your dating/relationships?
THE BREAKUP
What do you do if you are dating someone and you realize that this is not someone you want to marry?
Honesty and Love
But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into Him who is the head–Christ. – Ephesians 4:15
Do you think genuine love and honesty are common in the way many people date?
How should these qualities affect the way you begin a relationship and end a relationship?
If you are dating someone and the relationship ends that person should be better off having known you, closer to Christ, and able to move on without regrets.
- Has this been your relationship experience?
- How does this affect the way you date someone?