YOUNG PEOPLE ASK?Am I Ready to Date?

What is the purpose of dating?

Dating should have a honorable purpose-to help a young man and woman determine if they want to get married to each other.

Granted, some of your peers might take a casual view of dating.  Perhaps they simply enjoy being with a special friend of the opposite sex, without any intention of marriage. Some might even view such a friend as little more than a trophy or an accessory to be seen with in public to boost their own self-esteem. 

Often, though, such shallow relationships are short-lived.  "Many young ones who date break up with each other a week or two later," says a girl named Heather.  "They come to view relationships as transitory-which in a sense prepares them for divorce rather than for marriage." 

Clearly, when you date someone, you're affecting that person's feelings. So be sure your intentions  are honorable. -Luke 6:31. 

Think: Would you like someone to play with your feelings as if they were some child's toy-to picked up for a moment and then quickly abandoned? Then don't do that to someone else! The Bible says that love "does not behave indecently."-1 Corinthians 13:4. 5. 

A youth named Chelsea says:  "Part of me wants to say that dating should be just for fun, but it's no fun when one person is taking it seriously and the other isn't."

Tip: To prepare for dating and marriage, read 2 Peter 1:5-7 and pick one quality you need to work on. In a months time, see how much you have learned about-and improved in-that quality.

Next time: YOUNG PEOPLE ASK?/Am I Ready to Date? -Am I old enough to date?

From the jw.org publications