Are You Ready to Date?

Answer “yes” or “no”

1. Do I have community? Not just friends, but a community of people with whom I feel I belong and am loved and accepted by?
2. Am I free from hatred / anger / bitterness / jealousy from all former failed relationships?
3. Am I ready to get married within the next year or two?
4. Have a spent serious time “discerning” (prayerfully finding out) my “vocation” (calling) in life? And am I reasonably sure I’m called to marriage?
5. Am I ready to be totally honest within this dating relationship?
6. Have I experienced substantial healing from any abuse, trauma, or serious neglect in my past or present ? (Note: not total healing, which is only possible in heaven….but enough healing to be able to give and take in a healthy emotionally mature way)
7. Am I ready to give to another person in an unselfish way, putting aside my wants and needs when required by love?
8. Am I finished with any needed schooling (or will be finished within a year or two) and do I have a means of supporting myself and my future family? (or will I have this within a year or two)
9. Do I have a strong foundation in my relationship with God, the Source of all true love? This includes daily prayer, church attendance, trying to follow God’s commandments, humble repentance, etc.
10. Have I gotten to know well the person I intend to date…including having met their family…and have I built a friendship with this person over a substantial period of time (before dating)?