Dating stresses me out. It’s all the uncertainty and vulnerability that comes along with making yourself available to a person whose intentions you can’t trust.
On the first date, she knows something he doesn’t: whether or not there is going to be a second date. I know this feeling well because I have been on a lot of first dates, fewer second dates, and even fewer third dates.
Later down the road, the tables turn because he knows something she doesn’t: whether or not he will propose.
Despite how stressful this process is to me, I have to admit there is something extraordinary about it, too—not knowing but trusting that the person you are offering your heart to has chosen it. The risk is part of it. And for the one who knows what will happen at the end of the date, whether there will be a second date or whether there will be a ring, there is so much joy in the choosing.
In Ephesians 1, Paul tells us about the beginning of God’s love story for us. He has so much joy in telling us the story that he doesn’t even use punctuation, and verses 3–11 are one sentence. But here, I want you to pay attention to the time when God chose us:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love, he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,
— Ephesians 1:3-5 ESV
God chose you and loved you before the earth’s foundations were laid. That blows my mind! You never have to wonder if He is for you or if He loves you. He loved you from the very beginning. Today, live in that truth and navigate through the world with the confidence that only this truth can bring. You are loved.