I dated a non-Christian girl, and she was absolutely spectacular. She had amazing taste in music. Our conversation was always fantastic. We enjoyed each other's musings and stories and things. She had lots of energy to go out and do anything, and she also knew how to relax. She helped me get into things, motivated me to work out, to buy concert tickets that I otherwise wouldn't have etc. She even helped with cooking and cleaning at my apartment! She was perfect and we had everything in common- except that she wasn't a Christian.
Our relationship was so wonderful that I decided to bypass the lack of Christianity within it, and we were together for a long time. During that time, it is fair to say that her secular interests and influences outweighed my Christian ones, and she never wanted to give serious consideration to converting. So, one day, she decided to move away for grad school. She told me to come with her. We could get a place together and be happy.
I chose that moment to terminate our relationship. Cruel and cowardly, absolutely senselessly, while the two of us were still very much in... love, maybe? ... whatever our situation, I took a stand and said, "we're not living together. I'm a Christian, and I'm not going to do that."
The issue had been brought up before, but we'd ignored it. This was such a huge move that I knew I had to end everything. I obliterated her little heart (and mine too), and she went away.
The horrible consequence is not that our relationship failed. Here's what it is:
If she becomes a Christian later, I will have lost all my chances with her because I didn't have enough faith in either her or God for her to become a Christian.
If she never becomes a Christian, then by entering into this, albeit wonderful, relationship, I have only influenced that outcome by showing her the weaknesses and contemptible aspects of a male who is trying and failing to walk the Christian walk.
Moral of the story: The reason you don't marry a non-Christian woman is obviously that you don't want a house torn between religions that risks the faith of the children you raise - of course; however, the big reason you must not date a non-Christian is that you risk the complete opposite of your God-given purpose here. You risk driving people away from the Lord.
Whatever. I don't need sympathy. I can find that in the dictionary.
I just want to be descriptive as possible in expressing the revelation I discovered that dating non-Christians is not merely a risk to the happiness of the family in the future, but it can become a severely detrimental preventative factor in regards to the unsaved person's decision to seek the Lord.
