“God is writing my love story”

 

I’ve heard this time and time again from Christian women. In fact, I’ve said it several times myself. And though I believe that it’s true, I’ve most often heard it used as a reason for Christian women not to take action in their dating lives. Specifically, as a reason not to try online dating.

Some feel that online dating means forcing a relationship, and that we are no longer trusting God to bring someone into our lives by His own power and in His time.

But while I admit that I’ve had this thought myself as a single Christian woman living in an online dating world, I also admit that after trying it, and having many friends have success, my opinions have changed.

There are three specific reasons why I now believe that online dating (while still not for everyone) can be a worthwhile avenue for Christian women:

 

God calls us to action:

 

It’s true that sometimes in life, God asks us to wait, but it’s also true that we often use this idea of waiting as a scapegoat not to act, maybe because of our own fear, insecurity, or maybe simply because it feels easier not to. But I think that sometimes, the reality is that HE’S actually waiting for US.

There are a multitude of times in the Bible when God called people to action. Often, things didn’t just fall into people’s laps without God asking them to move, and though God ultimately has the power to write the story, it’s important that we be aware that sometimes He’s waiting for us to be an active participant in it.

God can, and certainly has, used online dating platforms to bring people together, but it first requires a decision and an action on our part..

 

Just because you take action, doesn’t mean that you’re forcing an outcome:

 

I always say that just because you knock on a door, doesn’t mean that God will open it. Just because you sign up for online dating, doesn’t mean that this is how God will bring your love story to fruition.

The truth is that online dating, thus far, hasn’t worked for me. Though I took the action to try, God hasn’t used it to bring about the story yet. But though it hasn’t worked for me, I know a wealth of other Christian couples who did meet online, all because they took the chance to simply try, not knowing what the outcome would be.

Action doesn’t always mean results, but it does open up the possibility.  

 

Online dating allows you to make your expectations clear from the start:

 

It’s no secret that it can be hard (certainly not impossible) to meet a Christian man in real life. Our culture has slowly moved away from religion, or at least has certainly watered it down.

Bumping into a solid Christian guy in real life doesn’t always feel feasible or likely, and once you’ve exhausted all your options at your church, where do you go to find someone?

Online dating allows Christian women the opportunity to set the expectation up front that they’re looking for a Christian man with similar values, and opens the possibility for them to meet someone they might not otherwise meet in real life.

 

So yes, while I absolutely believe that God has a hand in writing our love story, I believe that we do too.

 

And while online dating certainly isn’t the only avenue that we could take, it is one that we have available to consider.

So if you’ve been thinking about online dating, but weren’t sure if it’s the best option for you, or for Christian women in general, I encourage you to pray about it, and meditate on these three points as you make your decision.

You may decide that online dating isn’t for you, and in that case, I believe God has another plan in store for you. But if you do try it, though there’s no guarantee that God will use it as the beginning of your love story, you never know.

He just might.