Emily and Jon met on Amolatina Success Stories Christian Connection and are now married. Emily got in touch to share her dating experiences and offer encouragement to Christian Connection members…
“I was very tentative about trying online dating at first but I met a few non-weird people who had tried it and I thought, “Well if they think it’s OK I’ll give it a go.” I was signed up to CC for about 2 years (on and off) before I met Jon. I didn’t have loads of dates but a few. I had a couple of relatively terrible relationships in amongst all that as well. Amolatina Success Stories But I’m saying that to encourage people not to lose heart or give up when things go badly.
You might need time away from it all to deal with heartbreak or just to take stock and reorganize your thoughts but I would encourage you not to give up. When I first met Jon I honestly had very low expectations. He didn’t really meet any of my “criteria” and wouldn’t have even come up in my searches but he contacted me and we had a nice “conversation” and then we went on a date and basically just laughed all day. So we went on another date…and another.
Online Dating – Amolatina Success Stories
Fast forward five years and next week we will be celebrating our 2nd wedding anniversary and our first baby (a little girl) is due to be born in October. I never could have imagined this would be possible – I had almost completely given up hope – but here we are!! So the moral of my story is that internet dating is not just for weirdos.
And it’s not a numbers game. Don’t be disheartened if you don’t have loads of waves/dates etc. And don’t give up even if you have a few bad experiences, maybe even some heartbreak. The hurt is rubbish and horrible to go through but it’s worth the risk to find someone wonderful who will love and support you and team up with you in your walk with Jesus.”
‘To everything there is a season,’ the classic Sixties rock number goes (though the Bible got there first in Ecclesiastes 3), and so it is with Your Dating Life. There will be times of fallowness, like winter, when romantic life appears dormant. Don’t be discouraged. During winter a lot happens below the surface so that new life takes root and then blossoms into relationship possibilities when spring comes. Amolatina Success Stories Here are some suggestions for making a fallow time fruitful.
Start with your own heart – Amolatina Success Stories
First of all: how are you feeling? Life at the moment may not be conducive to good mental health, so be aware of things you can do to love and nourish yourself. Good food and sleep. Moving that body. Little treats.
Affirmations that strengthen and comfort. Remember that love-letter written to Greek city-dwellers nearly 2000 years ago, ‘Think on these things…’ with the writer listing the special and precious things of life (Philippians 4:8). Seek that mental place: it’s beneficial.
‘During lockdown I…’
You are fine as you are. You are enough. Amolatina Success Stories Be assured of that. But you can also use time and opportunities to develop yourself as a person. We’re told we’re living through ‘unprecedented times’ so why not do something unprecedented?
Absorbing new interests that may have intrigued you in the past though you didn’t have time to pursue them, learning something fresh, planning something unique for your future. Everyone will have their own little lockdown story to tell. What’s yours?
Do something for someone else – Amolatina Success Stories
One good thing to come out of this time has been a focus on people helping each other within communities. Find a way to share the love in some practical or supportive way. Jesus wants us to, it will make someone happy, plus it helps demonstrate the fact you care. When I met my husband at an internet-organised group, something that casually came up in conversation showed me what a kind-hearted person he was. All these years later, I haven’t changed my mind.
Review your social media presence – Amolatina Success Stories
As part of the Christian Connection community you are already aware of how much we inhabit the virtual as well as the physical world. While your dating profile may be appealing, what vibes are you giving off elsewhere on social media?
The day we met, my husband-to-be went home, looked me up on Facebook, and at least wasn’t put off by what he saw. Amolatina Success Stories No need to fake the perfect Instagram life but see if your online presence is authentic, which maybe means including sociable photos, friendliness, a sense of enthusiasm and energy. Ask yourself how you are presenting yourself to potential partners and curate your digital self accordingly.
RELATED ARTICLE: Latina Amor – The Secret to Stress-Free Dating
Watch films or read books that are uplifting
To keep motivated and optimistic during down times try watching films or reading books that provide inspiration and reassurance on your relationship journey. Ask friends you respect and with similar values to your own to recommend what they’ve found helpful and uplifting. For me, a particularly touching ‘how we met’ account is by the American Young Adult writer Madeleine L’Engle: From This Day Forward.
It tells the story of her early life which shows her growing from shy ‘wallflower’ to independent woman to marriage to her husband Hugh. As she wrote Amolatina Success Stories at the time of her wedding, ‘The best I can ask for is that this love, built on countless failures, will continue to grow.’ An acknowledgement of our human imperfections coupled with the recognition that committed love is a journey of growth.
