Faithforteens

Romance sometimes feels like it’s everywhere, especially around holidays such as Valentine’s Day. It’s beautiful, but it can be hard for those of us not in a romantic relationship. Maybe you’re even like me, and someone has remarked that you’re the only one your age who is single.

I can’t tell you if you should be dating. But for those of you who aren’t; I want to give you some encouragement.

You don’t have to be in a romantic relationship. You are not failing or any less valuable. What other people think of you does not define you. Our culture often sends the unspoken message that you need to be in a romantic relationship to find value, but the truth is, that value can only been found in Christ.

Your relationships will often be stronger for waiting. I’ve seen so much hurt caused by breakups and misunderstandings. Especially as teenagers, we still have to learn how to navigate relationships and love others well. Not many of us are ready to get married. Not all of us are even ready to handle the emotional rollercoaster of being in a relationship.

Romance isn’t something that should be rushed just because everyone else has a boyfriend or girlfriend. In fact, Song of Songs, the most passionate book of the Bible, has this warning woven into it multiple times.

Young women of Jerusalem, I charge you,
do not stir up or awaken love
until the appropriate time. ~Song of Songs 8:4

It’s not wrong to have friends of the opposite gender, or to have feelings for them, but those feelings can lead to the kind of love that should be reserved for marriage.

For those of you who are at a stage where you’re ready to date, but you’re still waiting for that someone special, you’re not alone. In the waiting, there’s still a Savior who loves you so deeply that we can’t even begin to understand.

Lord, you have searched me and known me.
You know when I sit down and when I stand up;
you understand my thoughts from far away.
You observe my travels and my rest;
you are aware of all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue,
you know all about it, Lord.
 You have encircled me;
you have placed your hand on me. ~Psalm 139: 1-5

He truly knows you. He sees you, and He has good plans for you. He will always be with you. He hasn’t forgotten about you. He won’t leave you or disappoint you, no matter what others have done for you. And His love is so much better than any human love.

I pray that he may grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power in your inner being through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love, and to know Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. ~Ephesians 3:16-19

His love is enough. May we always remember that.