Help! My friend is recreational dating!

[Mary G.]

Recreational dating--"Dating" with no intention of getting married but simply having fun and acting like almost serious dating with a person of the opposite sex.

My 16-year-old female friend has recently started going out with a 17-year-old young man. A year ago when she was just friends with him we were talking and she said, "I could never picture myself marrying him!"

I thought the dating/marriage question was closed.

However, when she told me that she and him were officially dating I reminded her of her statement. She blushed and said, "Oh, no, I'd never marry him. And besides, I'm not planning on getting married within the next year or two!"

Me thinking in my head: "Then why the heck are you dating him? Isn't the entire purpose of dating seeing if this is the person God wants you to marry? Why would you date someone with absolutely no intention of marriage? Why would you date at all if you don't plan on marriage within the next year or two?"

So should I say anything to her, and if so, what? Or just keep quiet?

[Ryan Dozier]

We as believers are here to glorify God in all aspects of our lives, including relationships. I think your friend needs to think about her intentions of dating. Is her intentions to glorify God in dating? It should be if she is a Christian. We date to find a husband or wife, in other words for a longterm relationship not short-term. If we are to date we must date for a possible husband or wife not for fun, this could lead to a broken heart for someone in the temporary relationship. Does breaking hearts sound like it glorifies God? No! We need to date a godly man or woman that seeks the Lord. Our relationships must be founded on Christ and the Word of God (The Bible). We must seek first the Kingdom of God. God will provide us our needs, including a husband(Matt 6
:33).


I have wrote a poem on some of my experiences check it out on my blog.
www.myspace.com/ryantheevangelist

[Ryan Dozier]

But yes I think you should say something. Get her alone and talk about it as friends. Tell her you are concerned for her and the one she is presently dating. Is she a Christian? If not you could use this as a chance to tell her about God's plan for relationships and swing to the Gospel.

[Paul A. Kaiser]

Bro Paul Washer has alot to say about this topic. You may want to share this series with your friend.

As for me I have many regrets about the decisions I made when I was younger. By the Grace of God what I intended for evil he turned into good. I love my wife but I would encourage our children to flee immorality and seek to court with the intent of seeking a spouse.