Dating

So first a word to my family who is getting these by e-mail. For those of you who don't know (I never really got around to explaining what this was), this is a blog that I created for one of my classes. I get credit for writing a blog for each unit, and thought you might be interested in the stuff I'm learning. Please if you get the chance, visit this blog at http://myforverfamily.blogspot.com/ (yes, "forever" is spelled "forver" hehe) and comment. I only say this because a few of you have e-mailed me back with great comments, and I would love for them to be on the blog. Plus my teacher will like me more :)
Last week we talked about the "rules of attraction" and dating. I'm kind of at a loss to write about this since I am finished with my dating career and happily married. I may not necessarily have any personal application in this area, so I suppose I'll address my remarks to those who are not married.
Dating is essential before marriage. Period. It is necessary because if you don't date for a long enough of a period (I am not about to define what that would be, since I believe it is different for everyone), you may find yourself falsely attracted to someone. This means that you think the person you are "twitterpated with" is actually someone else. Sometimes in the dating world we are so certain we like someone or even love someone if we think we already know who they are! But the truth of it is, we may only know about a percentage of their character traits and/or life, and then our minds fill in the rest of the missing information. So we only perceive we are getting the whole picture. This is a dangerous position to be in, because we are most vulnerable when we think we are safe. Not to say that twitterpation in of itself is dangerous. It is perfectly natural to be twitterpated and feel those God-given feelings. But don't get too carried away.
So my advice (and it seems like stating the obvious) is to date long enough to see your potential partner in life in a variety of situations. Don't let your mind fill in the blanks--let your experiences let the person's character show through. Date in a way that you will see all sides of the person before committing to anything. Date until you can almost predict what the other person would do in any given situation.
Now, this doesn't mean you should purposely provoke your date into an argument. I'm just saying you should explore all the fields. Talk about all kinds of topics. Chances are you are going to disagree on a few. Get their opinion. Genuinely listen and learn from what they have to say. Try to do a variety of activities. And most importantly TALK. This is easy for girls, and not as easy for guys. But it is essential in a relationship. Eyes are not necessarily the window to the soul, but the words that come from someone's mouth. This is just a little bit of advice.