What;does;Christian;dating;look;like?
The;Bible;specifies;that;believers;should
only marry other believers. Women
ought;to;protect;men;by;choosing;to;dress
with dignity. Men ought to treat women
as Christ treats the Church. Teens ought
to;respect;themselves,;respect;the;signifi-cant other in question, and above all, re-spect;God.
On the other hand, there is no book
written about “ 101 Steps to Christian
Courtship;in;the;Scriptures.”;There;isn’t
anything;in;Proverbs;about;when;a;first
kiss;is;permitted.;Jesus;never;tells;a;par-
able;about;a;young;couple’s;holy;con-
duct;during;dating.;God;gives;us;prin-
ciples;to;live;by,;and;He;also;gives;us;the
opportunity to apply those principles
to our lives. If we truly seek to do this,
Christian “dating” will be so far from
what the world is doing that they will
wonder what our version is called.
My challenge to parents is this: Remember that God has given you the re-sponsibility;and;the;privilege;of;equip-ping your children for upright living.
Also remember that purity cannot be
enforced—it can be encouraged and it
can be taught, but it must become your
child’s personal conviction, and only
God can do that.
Young;girls,;I;want;to;encourage;you:
I’m;nearly;16;years;old,;and;I;wear;a;pu-
rity;ring,;but;it’s;not;easy.;You;are;not
alone.;It’s;all;right;to;wonder;why;the
right guy or girl is taking so long to ar-rive.;It’s;all;right;to;get;frustrated;by;the
shallow romance playing out around
you,;but;do;not;back;down.;It’s;going;to
be;worth;it.;God’s;waiting;at;the;end;of
the;tunnel,;and;He’s;going;to;stay;by;your
side;every;step;of;the;way.
Teenage;boys:;I;won’t;pretend;to;un-derstand how your minds work, but let
me;tell;you;this:;If;you;fight;for;integrity,
if you honor God above all else, if you acknowledge the sacredness of sex, then the
right;girl;is;going;to;think;you’re;worth
a;million;dollars.;Don’t;throw;away;the
gift;of;your;purity,;or;you’ll;regret;it;when
you;meet;her.;If;she’s;waiting;for;you,;you
can;wait;for;her.;Trust;your;parents.;Trust
the;Bible.;Go;for;it.
When we choose to follow God, we
aren’t;losing;anything;of;value,;but;what
we gain is of incredible value. In breaking
away;from;the;status;quo,;we;can;find;our
worth;in;God;instead;of;in;a;significant
other.;We;can;preserve;our;relationship
with;Him;first;and;foremost,;trusting;His
timing in bringing us the right girl or guy.
We honor ourselves, and we honor others.
If;you’re;going;to;stand;for;something,
it’s time to start standing proud—so
stand;up.
At 16, Laura Genn has been homeschooled since kindergarten, along with
her 14-year-old sister, Hannah. Aside
from reading, playing video games, and
watching Doctor Who, Laura’s passion
is writing. Currently, she’s starting edits
on her first YA fantasy novel. With college
approaching, she eagerly awaits what God
is writing in the next chapter of her life.
Tweet her at Reason2Write.
Endnotes:
1. CBS News, www.cbsnews.com/2100-204_162-
554665.html,;accessed;on;July;25,;2013.
2.;The;National;Campaign;to;Prevent;Teen;and;Un-
planned Pregnancy, www.thenationalcampaign
.org,;accessed;on;July;19,;2013.
3.;THE;HOLY;BIBLE,;NEW;INTERNATIONAL
VERSION®,;NIV®;Copyright;©;1973,;1978,;1984,
2011;by;Biblica,;Inc.®;Used;by;permission.;All
rights reserved worldwide.
130;September-October;2013;•;Character;&;Virtue;www.TheHomeschoolMagazine.com
God’s Word on
Appearances
•;Proverbs;31:30:;“Charm;is;deceptive,
and beauty is fleeting; but a woman
who fears the LORD is to be praised.”
•;1;Peter;3:3–4:;“Your;beauty;should
not come from outward adornment,
such as elaborate hairstyles and
the wearing of gold jewelry or fine
clothes. Rather, it should be that of
your inner self, the unfading beauty
of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is
of great worth in God’s sight.”
•;1;Samuel;16:7:;“But;the;LORD said
to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his ap-
pearance or his height, for I have re-
jected him. The LORD does not look
at the things people look at. People
look at the outward appearance, but
the LORD looks at the heart.’ ”
Quoted;from;THE;HOLY;BIBLE,;NEW;IN TERNA-
TIONAL;VERSION®,;NIV®;Copyright;©;1973,;1978,
1984,;2011;by;Biblica,;Inc.®;Used;by;permission.;All
rights reserved worldwide.
The Influence of
Parents
“Three out of 10 girls become
pregnant;at;least;once;before;age
20.;When;asked,;around;75%;of
teens;report;that;lack;of;commu-nication between a girl and her
parents is the reason teen girls
have babies.”*
“Teenagers who have strong emo-
tional;attachments;to;their;parents
are much less likely to become
sexually active at an early age.
Teens;say;that;parents;most;influ-
ence their decisions about dating
and;relationships.”
“89%;of;parents;think;they’ve;had
helpful conversations with their
teens;about;sex.;Only;71%;of;teens
agree.”
*These statistics are from The National Cam-
paign;to;Prevent;Teen;and;Unplanned;Pregnan-
cy, www.thenationalcampaign.org, accessed
on;July;19,;2013.
We have traded
unbreakable trust for
temporary;lust.
