Distance dating. Those two words alone are enough to fill nearly every couple with dread. However, as scary and awful as it can be at times, there's a lot to learn from it. Like most things in life, there are lessons to be learned.

First off, I'd like to preface that I am by no means an expert on this topic. My boyfriend and I have been navigating the world of distance dating for a little over six months now. In that time I've learned so much, and as we continue to wade through this chapter of our lives, I'm sure I will learn infinitely more.

So, I'm writing this article to share a little bit of my limited experience and what I've learned so far.

It's hard much of the time, but worth it all the time.

As my boyfriend and I went our separate ways for college, I knew it was not going to be easy. I had been briefed by a few other couples who had gone through similar experiences, and I thought I was prepared. Thought is the key word here.

Truth is, I don't think anything can fully prepare you for distance dating until you actually walk through it.

Communication that once was easy becomes stretched. Patience is tested. Making time becomes increasingly more difficult.

However, despite all these things, one of the big things I've learned so far it that even though it's hard, it is so worth it. If you truly care about each other, spending weeks at a time apart doesn't seem so bad if things work out in the end. Looking at the big picture, a couple months, four years even, suddenly seem incredibly small.

Patience is key.

Honestly, I am not the most patient person to begin with. I am pretty stubborn at times. Ok… I'm stubborn a lot of the times. But I've slowly been learning that I have to lay aside that stubbornness.

Laying aside my own stubbornness has helped me to better relate to my boyfriend and be more understanding. It has also helped me to grow in patience.

Schedules don't always line up, and things don't always go according to my own agenda.

In the beginning, I got pretty frustrated when my boyfriend and I didn't get to talk on the phone as often as I'd like. However, since then I've grown in patience, and I now have a better understanding that life gets busy. College is hard. Trying to juggle homework, extracurriculars, friendships, and a dating relationship is even harder. So, this is where patience comes in.

Time to focus on yourself and grow in friendships.

While it can be restricting at times, distance dating has given me the unique opportunity to grow as an individual and build new friendships.

I've been able to intently focus on growing in my relationship with Christ and explore various opportunities. I am still figuring out what I want to do in the future, and that's something I need to be able to figure out on my own. And the same goes for my boyfriend.

Also, in my time of distance dating, I've been able to forge many new friendships. The people I've met in college have grown to be some of my biggest supporters. I am so grateful for them and all that they've taught me. I've been pushed in my walk with Christ and encouraged in so many new ways. I hope that I've been able to do the same for them.

If my boyfriend and I had gone to the same college, it would have been easier. Yet, I wouldn't have learned so many of the things I now know. In the long run, whether I end up marrying this boy or not, I am better prepared for the future because of the lessons I've learned from distance dating.