Dating

I've been thinking about dating alot lately because I'm surrounded by married, engaged or people who are dating, or even people thinking about dating... it's like everytime I close my eyes, someone is engaged or dating or something... Which is cool... for them... LOL... for me it just continually shows me how far I am from being ready to date... I say this because of my trusty handy guide to christian dating that I have by Myles Monroe called Waiting and Dating... It's an awesome book about preparing yourself for dating and marriage relationships that I try to live by (after the bible of course LOL)...

He begins talking about how "dating is an important vehicle (in our culture) for us to get an opportunity to know the opposite sex in a socially acceptable manner" and good because "the way people behave while dating usually reveals how they will behave when married." He also gives 4 principles for being ready to date... 1) knowing the benefits and dangers of dating (check) 2) understanding of God's standard's for relationships... including a clear set of guidelines for behavior based on God's Word (half a check) 3) resolve in your spirit that you will not lower or compromise those standards for any reason, even if it means losing dates (minus; I've said that numerous times, but have yet to actually do it...) 4) you don't need to date... you're in an independent state (minus minus minus... :() This is my biggest struggle area and I think it is very difficult to deal with... in the book Myles Monroe says "As long as you perceive lack or incompleteness within yourself, every relationship you enter will be, to one degree or another, an effort to supply that lack or bring a sense of completeness. If you feel deficient, you will build your entire relationship on that deficiency, because you will be looking to the other person to supply what you do not have."

I used to not even think about this because it was like I know I shouldn't even go there... but now it's all I think about... My problem in the past has been not knowing what I want and then settling for less than I know I should have... now it's not knowing what I want, and not having and prospects, and not being ready to date anyway so there's no point...

This needs to stop though... it might be becoming an unhealthy idol...