Emotional Purity

I have been thinking alot lately on the subject of emotions or romantic feelings. It is very distressing to see almost all relationships being ruled by emotions instead of on the basis of getting to know the person better and loving that individual for who he really is.

I have spent the past three years of my life getting to know someone and loving him for who he really is. I know that if I had allowed my emotions to get involved too soon, it more than likely would have hurt both of us, and we would not be enjoying the relationship we have today. This wasn't the easiest thing in the world to do, but we both knew that we needed to keep our emotions in tact, not only for ourselves, but for the other person.

Here are a few excerpts from a well known book that I personally have found so helpful on this subject:

"When we find ourselves attracted to someone, we need to make building a deeper friendship our first priority. Too often we believe that relating in a romantic, exclusive realtionship will automatically mean we'll be closer and know each other better. But this doesn't always happen. Although romance can be a more exciting level of relationship, it can also foster illusion and infatuation, obscuring the true character of each person invloved. Remember, as soon as we unleash our emotions in romantic love, our objectivity begins to fade. For this reason, we need to focus on developing a closer friendship with a potential partner before introducing romance."

"It will take patience and self-control not to express your feelings prematurely, but it's worth it. 'I want you to promise.....' says the maiden in Song of Songs 8:4(NLT), 'not to waken love until the time is right.' The Wycliffe Bible Commentary says, ' Love should not be stirred up before its proper time, because the love relationship, unless carefully guarded, may cause grief instead of the great joy it should bring to the human heart.' Proverbs 29:20 states, 'Do you see a man who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for him.' Don't play the fool in your relationships by speaking too soon. If you're pursuing a deeper friendship, the other person will already have an idea that you're interested, and you can't avoid this. But expressing these feelings in words often 'awakens love' before it's ready."

"I Kissed Dating Goodbye" ~Joshua Harris~

David and I were only able to do this by the grace of God. It is only through Him that we are who we are!!