If you are an honest person, you will more likely end up with an honest person. If you deceive yourself or others, deceivers will be drawn to you. Be light and attract light. That is the best boundary of all.

The best boundary against giving in to bad relationships, less-than-satisfactory relationships, or bad dynamics in a good relationship is your not needing that relationship. And that is going to come from being grounded in God, grounded in a support system, working out your issues, having a full life, and pursuing wholeness. If you are doing those

When we don’t have clear limits, we can expose ourselves to unhealthy and destructive influences and people.

What is normal? While the Bible is not explicit on the issue of how long a dating relationship should go on, we would suggest that a year, not including the engagement period, is a good minimum. We wouldn’t consider two or three years unrealistic.

Use experienced, spiritually mature people for support. Avoid those who idealize you as the innocent victim and see him as nothing but a creep. These sorts of friends can bolster your confidence, but do little to help you be objective and neutral. They tend to divide relationships and can often instill a sense of entitled arrogance in others which

A lifelong commitment to loving one person only Forsaking all other opportunities for romantic love other than that person Being in relationship with all the bad, immature, and broken parts of that person

discipline. People will promise themselves not to get too involved, and find that their promise melts when their relational hunger meets a person they desire.

If you couple that with standing on God’s sound principles of growth, you have more reason to hope. Principles like honesty, kindness, firm boundaries, forgiveness, responsibility, faithfulness, and the like will protect you. They are time-tested and proven. God’s ways are like a lamp to our feet, and if you follow them, we believe the chances of

Don’t even attempt to get serious in a dating relationship until you are connected to a good support system and friends who know you. If you are dating