Dating in the Teen Years--One of Last Year's English Assignments

I wrote this last year for an English assignment, so the writing's not as good as my more recent writings.

Dating in the Teen Years

In modern times, the idea of being complete without a boyfriend or girlfriend is a foreign concept. This way of thinking has especially affected the teenagers, where multiple dating relationships are considered the norm. From a godly perspective, dating in the teen years is foolish and most of the time will lead to heartache.

One problem with dating is the fact that teenaged couples often spend too much time alone together. As a result, friendships fall by the wayside and feelings are hurt. All of this time alone can also lead to physical temptation and sexual sin, which could result in an unplanned pregnancy or sexually transmitted disease. Time spent alone with the person’s boyfriend or girlfriend would also replace their time spent alone with God, and giving in to the physical temptation would weaken their Christian relationship with God even further.

Another problem is the vast majority of teens are too immature to handle a relationship. The real problem starts when they convince themselves that they are in love. After a while, that cannot continue their façade of love and they break off the relationship with nothing to show for it but bitterness and heartbreak.

Worrying about getting into a relationship and finding the perfect mate while still a teenager is shortsighted. Due to modern medicines and longer lifespans, people have plenty of time to enjoy being single. It is also a matter of God’s timing. If it is in His will for someone to get married, then He will do so according to His own plan. In the meantime, the best thing for a single person to do is to strengthen their relationship with God, and also to remember that Paul said it is better to remain single.