Learn how to steal your loved one’s heart!
Have you heard the well-meaning but inaccurate advice that if you quit struggling to find someone, it will happen with no effort on your part? He or she will suddenly cross your path when you least expect it? So, too, could a truck, barreling through a stop light. Surely, a chance meeting like that has occurred for some singles, but how long do you have to wait before Mr. or Miss Right just happens to synchronize their timing with yours? A better way is available to you, Christian singles. You may have to respond to a few ads online, or receive a response from several singles who are answering your ad, before you find the right one for you. But while you are meeting new people, you are practicing for that ultimate encounter. While practicing, you will become more comfortable with online dating, and meeting new people on the net, some of whom you may remain friends with forever.
This might not be the case for a secular dating site, but after all, you will be meeting new Christian brothers and sisters, and the special bond we have with one another is powerful and spiritually fulfilling in itself.
If you wonder how much response you will receive from posting your first ad, one man was delighted, hearing from 35 women, over a period of 4 weeks. He had to wait about a week before any came in, but then every few days he found more responses over the next three weeks. Out of these respondents, he ended up talking on the phone with 5, and eventually made dates with two, one of whom he is still dating and they are interested in marriage. He was so busy with his windfall of responses, he said he forgot to check out the ads posted by women! This is not the usual course of events, as more often, men answer women’s ads first, but all’s well that ends well!
Women will get many more e-mails than men do because men still outnumber women in the online dating scene, but this is changing rapidly, as more women overcome their fear or discomfort with the whole idea of meeting men in this unorthodox way. Christian singles have the best chance of finding quality partners, as both male and female respondents are looking for lasting love and not a steady source of dates, with no commitment. As you well know, however, many people claim to be Christian, but their lives show no sign of Christ’s regeneration. They may be decent and respectable, but if their hearts are far from the Lord, you will not be able to share the deeper things of your faith, unless you can lead them to intimacy with God. This should be done before marriage, not afterward. Go into a relationship with your eyes wide open. Do not allow yourself to form a mental image of the ideal Christian mate, based only upon what he or she tells you.
Internet dating tends to give you the illusion of closeness, so you need to bear that in mind, and not put your hopes and dreams on the line, based only upon what you have learned about the person through e-mails and even phone calls. You can make the same mistake when you meet someone in person offline, so be all the more cautious, online. While you share e-mails, it is easy to become caught up in the excitement, leaving your powers of discrimination behind. Over time, after you meet, and your friends and family have a chance to meet your new friend, you will have more solid evidence to base your affections and plans for the future upon this particular person. Take your time!