POTENTIAL - Dating Series (2)

Hear THIS - Nothing in life should hold you back from the rest of your life

Last TikTok stuck in your head? Maybe just a sound?

Last song “? (Song you love vs song you hate)

Crab Rangoons - Stuck in my head

RECAP on series

What is dating?

Dating can sometimes feel like that Crab Rangoon!

That’s normal, by the way. And it doesn’t have to be a bad thing.

It only becomes a problem when a person—or the idea of having a person—becomes an obsession.

How to know youre Obsessing?

Person is all you THINK about

They are the ONLY person you SPEND TIME with.

Someone in your life and theyre all you TALK about.

Or when you DONT have someone in your life, and that idea of someone TAKES UP YOUR HEADSPACE

TWO THOUGHTS

Im not that person.

Why is that a bad thing?

Theres nothing wrong with Wanting, Talking about, Thinking about someone.

BUT…when everything else in your life seems to fade out because of this person, it can become

problematic.

WHY?

1. You get distracted. - There is too much in your life to do that matters more.

2. You push people away.  - Friends (go through a friend slow breakup), Family, distance takes toll on relationship

We’ve all seen it happen. Relationships ruined, opportunities passed, all because of an obsessive mindset.

So what do you do about it?

MEAT

Book by paul - alsways motivated by love.

Wanted people to love God and love others.

“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise” (Ephesians 5:15 NIV).

Paul is encouraging his audience: pay attention to what you do, and make the wisest choices that you can.

This principle can be applied to just about anything—your friendships, school, schedule, etc. But for the sake of today’s conversation, here are some questions to ask yourself when it comes to dating . . .

• At what point does being interested in someone—or in the idea of someone—cross theline into obsession?

• When it comes to my interest in dating, how close am I to that line?

INTERACTIVE - Interest/Obsession

Following someone on Instagram – interest.

Checking their Snapchat story constantly all day to see if they posted something new —obsession.

Saying “hey” to them when you see them in the hall – interest.

Being late to your next class to walk by them. – obsession.

Sending someone a goodnight text. – Interest.

Having someone’s face printed on a pillow. – obsession.

Paul’s also not done making his point here. He continues . . .

“making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16 NIV).

In Greek, the original language this letter was written, the word Paul uses means something closer to annoying, difficult, or time consuming.1

In other words, your time gets taken up by so many different things, it’s important to make the most of what you have left.

You have a chance to encourage your friends, influence people who are younger than you, and develop

yourself in so many areas while you’re in high school. Dating can be a great part of that, but when it takes

up too much space, it has the potential to leave you or the other person with hurt or regret.

APPLY

Ultimately - Nothing in life should hold you back from the rest of your life.

That’s not a knock on the person that you like or the person that you are dating. And it doesn’t mean that that relationship doesn’t have potential! But it does mean that the more we make someone the entire focus of our life, the more potential that we have to miss out on other things that matter. 

if your dating life is holding you back from the rest of your life, it may be time to rethink some things.

1. Broaden your focus

2. If you’re currently in a relationship, don’t forget the people around you.

3. If you aren’t dating anyone, don’t make it your main goal.

Listen, dating can be a really good thing…but

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