Keeping up Appearances
You’ve heard the phrase ‘be on your best behavior’ and ‘put your best foot forward’ especially on a first date.
You should make an extra effort on a first date but always be yourself. Never act like someone or something you’re not.
There’s an old British show titled ‘Keeping Up Appearances.’ In this show, the main star is Hyacinth Bucket. She pronounces her last name as ‘Bouquet’ and loudly corrects anyone who pronounces it as Bucket. She’s embarrassed by her family and is forever pretending to be something she’s not. The results are sometimes quite embarrassing and painful for her.
The worst thing you can do is present yourself as a man who enjoys one way of living when you don’t. Presenting yourself as a pillar of perfection gets hard to maintain day in and day out. If you keep dating the same person, you’ll eventually get tired of the façade and when who you really are comes out, the woman you’re dating will end up feeling disillusioned.
You want to start out dating like you plan to end up. If you’d like to have a dating relationship focused on a mutual relationship with the Lord, then start it out the right way.
Read and study the Bible together. Begin and end your dates with prayer. Dating someone is more than simply looking for a woman you may have things in common with. It’s more than seeking a companion. You want a woman that has a steady walk with God herself.
You can be interested in what she has to say and interested in what she does without pretending you’re a fan of the activity. You wouldn’t expect her to pretend she’s interested in football if she’s not.
Too many men believe that it’s the common hobbies that cement relationships, but it’s not. You can have common interests but not all of them have to be the same. Or even should be.
Think about it. God created each one of us unique. The differences can actually add to a dating relationship so apart from an interest in things of God, don’t write a woman off if you don’t have other interests in common.