I Kissed Dating Goodbye

I Kissed Dating Goodbye by Joshua Harris

Josh started his book by giving this graphic example. A bride and the groom are at the altar. When the groom was reciting his marriage vows, one by one, six ladies stood beside him, each holding his hand. Slowly, a lady whispered in his ears, "Did you tell her about all the sweet promises you used to whisper in my ear?", another said, "Does she know about me?". The bride began to tear, she asked him, "What is going on?". He looked down and said, "You are my 7th".

Shocking? Yes you can say that again. As you've read, the groom gave his heart to 6 ladies before his bride. Therefore she has the leftovers of his heart or whatever that is left over. I was literally shaking after I read the story. Surely I do not want my bride to have the leftovers.

What Joshua was trying to say is pretty clear. He says that we should ONLY give our heart to our spouse. How do I even do that? How do I know that he/she is the one? Should I date? Dating is not encouraged because it gives a false impression to the other person, involves no commitment. "The joy of intimacy is the fruit of commitment" that's the golden rule as Josh puts it. As long as you're not thinking of a long-term commitment, FORGET IT. Are you only interested in the other person's body/flesh/looks? . . . idk what to say if that is what you're looking for. Looks are only temporal, but our character lasts a lifetime. Looks fade away, but our character lasts till eternity. We can't bring our looks into heaven. I do not believe in dating, only courtship. Enter courtship with marriage in mind.

So then how should I treat the opposite gender? Well, just be friends. Friends build on something they have in common. How do I know if I've crossed the line between merely friends and more than just friends? Well, more than just friends tend to focus on themselves rather than something in common. Friends do stuff which they have in common, but "more than just friends" focuses on themselves rather than the things they have in common. If you get what I'm trying to say..

Josh also gave another pretty good explanation. Though it good that you're there for the opposite gender and all but think about the future. When you're married next time and want a shoulder to lean on, who do you go to? The opposite gender? That's a big NO. Obviously you go to someone of the same gender, you share more in common with them. An excellent example is, do you see any aunty or uncle doing that? No right? (I'm sorry for the example but I can't think of any other).

This is in response to Keith's sermonette. Where he mentioned something about having to wait twice the length of your life before experiencing sex. God knows what He's doing by designing it so. The wait (for guys) builds character. It's called delayed gratification. And don't even think of "trying". This is what Josh said in response to a radio interview he had with a DJ. The DJ was asking him, "What if your spouse is not good in bed?". Josh simply replied, "Well, I won't have anyone to compare". There you go!!

That was a short summary of the book "I Kissed Dating Goodbye" by Joshua Harris. I'm sorry if I left out anything or added anything unintentionally. I truly recommend that book to everyone. It's definitely worth it.

God bless =)