Dating and Preparing for Marriage

Throughout this week, I’ve come to learn more about dating and preparing for marriage. In my generation, dating has changed and has become so different than before. I’ve noticed that my generation has been so accustomed to hanging out rather than going out of dates. In correlation with this statement, I’ve asked myself the questions of what makes a good date? And how is this different from “hanging out”? In my opinion, what makes a good date is having it be planned out. I feel like when it is planned out you are able to have more fun with the other person and provides more opportunities to get to know each other better than any other situation of just “hanging out”. Other aspects of what makes a good date is having it being paid for and it being protected. Having it being paid for allows each other to be responsible and respectful towards one another. Having it be protected allows each other not only to respect one another but also making it safe. This is different from just “hanging out” because when you are on a good date it makes it more formal. Hanging out creates a vibe of just being too relaxed and chill with the other person. This can affect the quality of the relationship. This matters because it can help or hinder the relationship in preparation for marriage. I honestly do not like the “hanging out” phase that my generation has adopted because you cannot truly get to know a person on a level of just “hanging out”. You have to do things that you both enjoy doing so that you can know how you each react to certain things.

Another question that has been on my mind is what kind of love do you consider most valuable? A love that I consider to be most valuable is full of sacrifice, service, and respect. Growing up, as I have watched my parents and siblings that have gotten married reflect these same characteristics in their own marriage, it makes me want to value this kind of love in my own life. I think you can learn a lot from each other by possessing these same characteristics in a relationship. I am so grateful for my family in helping me learn and understand these characteristics of a relationship. There are of course other characteristics about the kind of love that I value but these are the most important to me. This brings me to my next question of what would I most desire within a marriage? I would desire to spend quality time with the other person. This requires sacrifice, service, and respect in the relationship as I have mentioned before. I would hope to continue dating each other throughout marriage because this helps you improve the quality of the relationship even after marriage. Another question that I thought was interesting is how does one come to develop the kind of love you find of greatest value? I think it comes with trial and error as you come to develop this kind of love that I have mentioned. I think learning from your mistakes can help you to develop the love that you want in a relationship. There are many other ways as well that someone can develop this kind of love.

As I have come to reflect on these questions, I want to know what are some of your thoughts about this topic. How do you come to develop the kind of love you find of greatest value? And what kind of love do you consider to be most valuable? I hope that we can try a little harder to be a little better at improving the quality of our relationships with other people, doesn’t matter who it is. This applies to every relationship but especially those of the opposite sex.