Face To Face Offline Meeting

It’s happened – after many e-mails and phone calls, you have decided to meet someone in person. What do you do now? The first and most important thing to remember is that you are still in the very early phases of your friendship with this person. Although you may have shared a great deal with him or her in conversations, being with someone in person adds another dimension to the relationship.

Follow all of the safety rules that apply to anyone who is meeting an internet date for the first time. Make the first meeting in public place such as a restaurant so that you won’t be alone and vulnerable. Tel at least two friends or family members where you are going and the name of the person you are meeting and when you expect to be home. Also give them the person’s phone number and be sure you meet the person – don’t let him or her pick you up at your home on a first or second date.

Setting ground rules is very important. Talk about what you would like to do, enjoy the evening, but don’t forget that you want to maintain the kind of pace that allows for learning and growing together both emotionally and spiritually before you become too physically involved. If you are like most Christians, sex isn’t an option before marriage, so set boundaries for yourself that you won’t cross so that temptation isn’t too unbearable.

You can have a wonderful evening talking about everything from childhood pranks to your favorite movies, never bringing faith up in conversation, and still get a clear picture of where the other person stands. Actions are very revealing, so be observant for the little gestures that indicate whether your companion is not only a good person, but a good Christian.

• Being polite and patient to servers at a restaurant, attendants at an event, etc. indicates that he or she views everyone as equal and that he or she has a gentle personality.

• Remembering to say Grace before a meal, even in a restaurant, means he or she will stand by his convictions in public as well as in private. There are many people who find this difficult to do.

• A forgiving nature, not a judging one, is what being a true Christian is al about. If there is an angry outburst every first time you are late or have to change plans, perhaps you need to discuss this. Anger and impatience are dangerous emotions.

Sometimes the differences between one site and another are distinct, but you can’t put a finger on them. You just know that the next site you try has, for some unknown reason, more people who seem to understand where you are in your faith walk and who see life the way you do. Put it down to one of God’s “mysterious ways” and realize that you have discovered thousands of Christian singles you didn’t know about just days before. This time, it could be the site that leads you to the one person you want to share this life with and meet again in eternity

By: Alena Fox