Everybody, well almost everybody wants to find lasting love, right? One of the ways we do it nowadays is online dating. We’d all like to meet someone the good old fashioned way but with life being busy and people moving around the goal posts have changed. Thankfully online dating has become far less of a taboo and more acceptable. And with so many Christian celebrities getting engaged of late, everybody’s love antenna is up.
So why is it so difficult to find someone?
The reasons are different for everyone but for me, it boils down to a few factors. I’m taller than average at 6’1, generating wildly different reactions best saved for a private conversation. Add the fact that I’m a ‘born again, Spirit-filled Christian’ who’s serious about my faith and the dating pool seems to have shrunk massively.
I can carry on with the things that I believe have affected my visibility online. I’m considered ‘old’ at 52. I’m divorced and for many Christian men they immediately steer clear for fear of ‘committing adultery’. But if they stick around long enough they soon discover that I was married and divorced before I got born again. I’m very honest about how old I am and how tall I am or what state my walk with the Lord is in. But is too much honesty too much? I’ve come across so many people who lie about their age or relationship with the Lord. Stick with honesty, it will save you in the end.
5 Tips for online dating – lessons I’ve learned
- If you’re serious about your faith stick to Christian dating sites, being unequally yoked is unbiblical and not easy.
- If you’re in doubt about the person you’re communicating with get them to post a new photo with that day’s paper. It helps verify who you’re actually talking to rather than a scammer. Any honest person will happily do that.
- Don’t ignore the red flags. I learned the hard way, I wanted a relationship and ignored the red flags to my detriment.
- Meet in person in a safe place soon after starting to communicate. Nobody wants to communicate endlessly online, it will save a lot of heartaches later when you find out that person is not the one for you.
- Be honest, use up to date photos. It’s only fair
Have fun out there folks, be kind and may the Lord grant you the desires of your heart, after all “He who finds a wife finds a good thing.”(Proverbs 18:22)
This article was written by UK author and speaker, Deborah Armin who is a graduate of the London School of Theology. Her book On My Way Home: One Woman’s Journey in Search of the Unknown God, is published by Authentic Media.