If you’re single, don’t leave spirituality out of your dating life! These five tips for being more spiritual on your first few dates can set the foundation for a strong, healthy, happy relationship. It’s never too soon to share your beliefs about God or a Higher Power with a potential romantic partner…
Before the tips, a quip:
“There is no golden rule of dating, except to make sure that it engages both of you; too many people go to the movies for a first date and of course don’t say a word, that’s a bad thing!” ~ American actor Steven Hill.
The first tip for singles dating and spirituality is to avoid activities that don’t allow you to talk to each other – such as going to the movies. Instead, get to know your date through meaningful activities and conversation. If you’ve already been on several dates and want to develop a more spiritual relationship with your partner, click Devotions For Dating Couples: Building A Foundation For Spiritual Intimacy. And, read on for a few tips for dating singles…
5 Tips for Spirituality for Dating Singles
1. Be honest about who you are. Are you a religious person who believes in God and attends church every Sunday, or a spiritual being who communes with a Higher Power while doing yoga or walking in the park? Share your authentic self to your date as early as possible. It’s difficult to let yourself be known when you’re single and hoping for a romantic relationship, but the more you communicate from your heart and soul, the more real and attractive you’ll be. And, the less explaining you’ll be doing later!
2. Allow your date to be honest about his or her spirituality. Maybe your date is Jewish and you’re Christian – or maybe neither of you belongs to an organized religion. Maybe you both believe in meditation, but disagree on the effects of visualization. Whatever your beliefs about spirituality are, be graceful and accepting about your date’s beliefs. Listen to your date’s spiritual beliefs, and remember that we’re all coming from a different space in our lives.
3. Decide how important religion or spirituality in romance is to you. If you’re reading these tips for spirituality, singles and dating, then your spirituality is at least somewhat important! Visualize or pray about the type and degree of spirituality you want in a romantic relationship. What does it mean to be spiritual relationship with your partner? Think about that while dating.
4. Understand that “What you see is what you get.” An important part of being spiritual is accepting people for who they are. When you’re on your first few dates with someone, avoid thinking that they have the potential to be a great romantic partner if only they changed that, or this, or that. You can’t change who your date or romantic partner is…and you shouldn’t try to change yourself to be something you’re not.
5. Focus on specific ways to be spiritual while dating or building your relationship. Don’t be vague about your intentions as a single person. Be specific! For instance, do you want to go to church, pray with your partner, or attend a Bible Study regularly? Would you rather meditate as a couple, or read books about manifesting your destiny or the law of attraction together? Maybe you just want to talk about spirituality occasionally. The more specific your thoughts are about your dating and spiritual life, the more likely they are to become reality.
If you’re nervous about talking to your date, read 10 First Date Conversation Starters for tips!
Are you hoping to combine your spirituality with your dating life? I welcome your thoughts and questions below…
Thanks for your comment, Tracy! If you’re dating and weaving spirituality into your romantic relationship, I’d love to hear more from you about how it’s going
These are all really good tips. I agree that people need to be upfront about who they are and what’s important to them. Thank you for the advice!
Hello Aernout,
True, spirituality lies at the core of who we are…but I think we get caught up in the desire for a romantic relationship, the hope of love working out, the lure of wanting to be the right person. We may let these “base” hopes and dreams temporarily override our connection to our spirituality and source of life.
And, some people are embarrassed or nervous to share their spiritual lives and beliefs when they’re dating. I know this doesn’t seem right, but I also know it’s true!
I appreciate your comments — thanks for being here.
All good things,
Laurie
I wonder how spirituality could possible NOT become apparent on a first or second date… I mean, spirituality lies at the core of who we are, where we come from and where we go – how could anyone sort of “skip that”…?
Great tips on christian dating thanks!
Thanks for taking the time to comment, SinplyForties. I really like your thought that “pursuing a date won’t lead to a happy future.” Nice!
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Good advice. Forgeting what’s important to us in the pursuit of a date won’t ever lead to a happy future. Thanks for the reminder to keep that in mind from the beginning.
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