November 20, 2007
Rating Your Dating
By Lydia Rule, RTF Staff Writer
In terms of how godly your dating relationship is, would your relationship be rated G, PG, PG-13, or R?
Check out the quiz below for a check-up on the direction your relationship is headed!
1) You hold hands and kiss.
a) Never.
b) Just once in a while.
c) All the time.
d) You do a whole lot more than that!
2) When you find yourself tempted to do wrong, you:
a) Pray for wisdom and talk to your parents/pastor/or friends.
b) Handle it on your own.
c) Sometimes do what is right, and sometimes do what is wrong depending on your mood that day.
d) Go ahead and do it!
3) You are at a youth group activity and your boyfriend/girlfriend wants to sneak away into a back room. You choose to:
a) Say “no” and stay with the rest of the group. Talk to your parents later
and ask them if you should continue in this relationship.
b) Pretend not to hear what your boyfriend/girlfriend is saying and join the group.
c) Agree as long as you only are gone for a little while.
d) Sneak off. After all, if you are really in love, you’ll do anything for the other person, right?
4) If your parents or a Christian friend tells you that they don’t believe that you should keep dating your boyfriend/girlfriend, you would:
a) Ask them why they feel this way and then re-evaluate your relationship.
b) Listen to them and then forget about it.
c) Laugh and tell them that they are worrying too much.
d) Become angry and refuse to speak to them for a few days.
5) The first thing you notice about a potential boyfriend/girlfriend is:
a) Their character (how they treat people, if they are saved, etc). It would be nice if they are cute, but it’s more important to you how they act than what they look like.
b) Their character AND their looks.
c) Character is nice, but looks are more important.
d) Just looks—who wants to go out with the ugly duckling?
Score Card:
If you answered the questions with…
Mostly A’s: Your relationship rating is G. You follow your head more than your heart when it comes to relationships. You don’t want to make mistakes about your future husband/wife and you look to God to find the right person for you.
**Advice: Just because you are cautious, doesn’t mean that you won’t be tempted. Be sure to pray, and ask your parents to hold you accountable to the dating guidelines you set up.
Mostly B’s: Your relationship falls under the PG category. You want to do whatever you feel like doing, but you don’t want to go too far. Temptation is an issue for you. You want to fit in without giving in.
**Advice: Riding the fence is not what Christians are called to do. We are called to be a “light” in a dark world. Love is blind and it is best to have clearly defined guidelines when it comes to dating. Ask your pastor/parents/Christian friends for advice on how to keep your relationship in focus with God’s plan for your life!
Mostly C’s: Be careful! Your relationship is PG-13. You are playing a dangerous game with love by ignoring God’s standards. You could end up making decisions that you will later regret.
**Advice: Getting your relationship back on track will take character. You need to ask for God’s help, and then get advice from your parents or pastor. Although it may be painful, you may need to end any unhealthy relationships that are taking your focus away from God.
Mostly D’s: You fall under the R category. Your relationship is heading down the wrong path. You only care about what feels right at the moment. You are continually hurting or being hurt in relationships. And deep down, you wonder if you will always be stuck in abusive or selfish relationships.
**Advice: It’s never too late to start over! If you are willing to change, God is only a prayer away! It doesn’t matter what you’ve done, He still loves and wants you. True love comes from God, and He is waiting for you to commit your relationships to Him.
Bio: Lydia Rule is an award-winning writer who has been published in several international magazines. She is saving her heart for the right guy and until then, enjoys spending time completing her fifth novel and other various writing projects.
Deb says:
GREAT work, Lydia!
Some days I think you’re the Martha Stewart of the writing world. You always seem to have it so together…I admire you. 
Debbie
Maria says:
I’ve never had a boyfriend,EVER, and I’m like older than 15 years of age (I’m a bit proud of this fact even though it’s considered a shame at school). I took this quiz and my imaginery dating relationship (with this guy i have a crush on but would never date) was classified as PG, and that’s because I’m not even dating! I was totally expecting to get a G. What’s going to happen when I do start dating in like ten more years?
Lydia Rule says:
Hey Maria,
Just saw your post…
I hope the following answers your question: “What’s going to happen when I do start dating in like ten more years?”
Until 2 wks. ago, I had never dated anyone either.
Then, with my parent’s permission, I’ve started dating a Christian guy in my church. I can say this honestly: without accountability and guidelines, relationships can very easily get headed down the wrong paths. However, before we started dating, we agreed that we should have some basic guidelines:
1) Parental involvement would be a part of everything we did. If you don’t have parents who are willing to be involved, then ask your youth pastor or someone at church to hold you accountable and let you know if they see anything wrong in the relationship.
2) Never date alone. Double dates, church activities, or having someone come along with you is the best way to keep temptations away.
3) PRAY! Always pray for wisdom and direction in a relationship. If both you and your future boyfriend have God as the number one priority, then you can achieve that “G” rating.
Hope this helps!
In Christ,
Lydia Rule