Romeo! Juliet!

You know that famous scene from Romeo and Juliet-- the one where Juliet is standing on her balcony and Romeo is in the garden. They have only known each other for a few hours at that point; they met at a party earlier the same night. Juliet is sighing and cooing over her lover. Romeo is promising his eternal love to Juliet. They're just two teenagers, but they have each other, and that makes them complete. They see a future of unfailing devotion and perfect happiness stretching out before them.

Romeo and Juliet are held up as the ideal lovers in all of English literature. That's probably because their story was finished long before reality set in. They were still in the first bloom of infatuation when they met their sad end. And yet, as unrealistic as their story was, do you secretly want to be Romeo or Juliet? Do you want to meet somebody you can love with an overpowering love, who'll love you back the same way? Somebody who will complete you?

Here's the problem: there isn't anybody out there who will complete you. It's God's job to make you whole, and not anybody else's. You've known people who felt they had to be in dating relationship at all times-- people who would rather have a boyfriend or girlfriend who made then miserable than not have a boyfriend or girlfriend at all. The desire for romance can be exhausting, a real drain on your mental and emotional reserves (and sometimes your cash reserves).

Dating isn't a bad thing.You can have a lot of fun in dating. You can learn a lot about yourself, and there's a good chance you'll get to know your future spouse through dating. But if you've pinning all your hopes for happiness on one person-- or on the expectation on meeting that one person-- you're asking for trouble. Simply live, and don't expect a dating relationship to fulfill your deepest desires. Those are fulfilled by the God who promises to supply your every need. When it's time, he'll bring the right person into your life. It's the simplest way. =)

One Final Thought

No relationship with a person can fully satisfy-- only a relationship with God can do that.