Dating & Relationships

For a lot of my single years, I was hopelessly awkward. No doubt, there were still attractive things about my personality (or at least my mom says there were), but overall, I was kind of weird.

An hour of your time. That’s all it takes to ensure a rosy romantic future. Meet a stranger, look into their eyes, throw around a few words and glances, and wait for the chemical reaction. If you feel it – the frisson, the shudder, the flutter – rejoice! The foundation for a wonderful relationship is laid. If not, if there’s nothing there but another human staring back, with all their imperfections, it’s time to shrug and move on. Back to the drawing board. Back to trawling profile after profile. Back to the awkward opening messages and attempts at originality. It’ll be worth it though. Knowing that the next one could have it. Yes, it.

‘Someone gave me a prophetic word that my future husband lives in a particular city, that I must step out in faith to meet him, and that we’ll have children, which I long for,’ said the letter. ‘I’m very excited and I’m now planning to relocate. This will mean leaving my job and moving to a place where I don’t know anyone, but I want to be obedient and it’ll be worth it to meet the man God has planned for me.’

Crikey… what could possibly go wrong?!

I’m not sure what else to do. I’ve given you hints. I smile at you when we are around each other. I intently look at you when we are conversing. I giggle at the stupid things you say. I try to make you feel encouraged and supported when you are having a bad day. I’ve done my part, now it’s your turn.

If you’re like me and 30-plus years old, you may remember the 1999 Drew Barrymore movie “Never Been Kissed.” For those who have never seen it, here’s a synopsis. Josie Geller (Drew) aka “Josie Grossie” by her former high-school classmates, is a newspaper copyeditor who’s desperate to move up to reporter.

Online dating brings quite literally a world of opportunities, and that in turn raises the question: How wide should you make your search for love?

The answer of course will depend on your personal circumstances and preferences, but broadening the geographical options might just be a great way to enrich your experience and increase the chances of finding that special someone.

‘I’d been chatting with someone online for a while, when suddenly his messages became very sexually explicit,’ said the email. ‘When I withdrew, he called me a coward. It was horrible to be insulted for not participating in inappropriate behaviour. To suddenly go from affectionate to sexually explicit is weird and creepy, and not what I expected on a Christian dating website.’

Christian Connection was back at the Greenbelt Festival at the end of August. Along with the usual social events and meetups, we arranged a special panel with the title “Has Online Dating changed everything?”