couple o things :)

honestly i thought about just spouting off all my thoughts in this post. but instead i'm going to keep it positive. (mostly!)

can i tell you what makes me proud?! :)

seeing godly men treat girls/women as they should be treated.

i started dating (like going out on dates not the "he's my BF" silliness of middle/grade school...) my freshman year in high school. but my senior year my dad took me out on "dates" every tuesday night. we'd go to dinner, talk, laugh and share life. it was fabulous. you know why he did it?...other than my moms suggesting i'm sure!) so that i KNEW how i should be treated on dates and in a relationship.

he valued me. he asked me ahead of time. he asked where i wanted to go. he listened when i talked. he respected me, encouraged me, challenged me and made me feel worth it.

i feel like this generation has stopped taking dating seriously.

they just "hang out" and are friends with benefits.

they don't ask girls out and pursue them... they just hang out with them like buddies. (which is OK to a point...)

there seems to be less commitment and more "spinning cups" as a friend described it.

i'm not just picking on guys here. girls - STOP allowing guys to treat you that way! good grief.

i dont like it.

they may kill me but i'd like to brag on some guys i've seen/heard doing it right. ben diquattro, aaron wall, mason stewart, (all married now) and chad hall.....just to name a few...

so ben, aaron & mason - back when you were dating and chad still today...

THANK YOU for not playing with girls emotions. thank you for being upfront about your intentions. thank you for being man enough to say what you're feeling and mean it. thank you for not leaving anyone (anyone being the girl IN the relationship and people on the outside looking in) wondering what's going on in your relationship or friendship.

girls - some of you need to hear this speech as well. i FAILED at being completely honest with my relationships in my early 20s and i regret it. i hurt people. i did not live above reproach when it came to guys emotions. i'm sorry i did that. don't do that. be honest. don't drag guys along.

i pray that we'll take Gods command to "guard our hearts" seriously. (i always fear i am going to sound like that youtube video "shoot christians say" when i quote that scripture. but if we don't guard our hearts no one else is going to do it for us.

i wasn't super careful with my heart when jay and i were "just friends." aka - i was in love with him and he really was just my friend.

i have struggled with years of low self image and other crap b/c i didn't obey God when He warned me about my heart in that relationship.

ugh.

so my challenge is for guys to simply MAN UP and be real. don't string girls along. don't have 4 or 5 girls wondering whether or not they are dating you. girls - don't be leaving guys wondering either.

we are made in the image of Christ. Christ! Let's treat each other as such.

if you are confused on how to do this, pray. and then ask Ben, Aaron, Chad or Mason :) they can help. amen.

(ok i'm kinda nervous to post this...)

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