Your Faith Is the Foundation

Our relationship with Jesus Christ isn’t one part of our lives that we pull out on Sunday morning and put away when the rest of the week begins. He is the foundation. The more we know Him, the more His Word begins to shape how we think, what we value, how we respond to people, and the decisions we make. Spiritual growth is learning to live what we say we believe.

That matters in every area of life, including our relationships. We can spend a lot of time asking God who we should date or marry while giving far less attention to the person we are becoming in Christ. But before we are somebody’s boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, or wife, we belong to Jesus. Growing in Him prepares us not only for healthy relationships, but for a life that honors God whether marriage is part of our future or not.

Your Walk With Christ Will Show Up in Your Relationships

Our spiritual lives and our relationship lives aren’t separate. Eventually, what is happening inside of us comes out in how we love people. It shows up when we are disappointed, when somebody tells us no, when we’re angry, when we’re attracted to someone we probably shouldn’t pursue, when we have to forgive, and when obedience to God costs us something we really wanted.

That’s one reason spiritual growth matters so much when we’re thinking about dating and marriage. Marriage doesn’t suddenly give us patience, self-control, wisdom, humility, or the ability to communicate well. Another person cannot do the work in us that belongs to the Holy Spirit. We bring who we are into our relationships, including the places where we have matured and the places where God is still working on us.

So don’t only ask God to prepare the right person for you. Ask Him to keep growing you. Ask Him to expose what needs to change, strengthen what is weak, heal what still affects the way you love, and teach you to recognize His voice above your own desires. The closer we walk with Christ, the better equipped we are to build relationships that reflect Him.