Now I am in no position to be giving relationship advice. I have had my fair share of bad relationships but what I can say with full confidence is that I know where I went wrong, I know what I expect in the future, and I know that it is nearly impossible to be in a relationship unless both partners are equally yoked. I know this for two specific reasons; God's Word and my track record.
Have you ever been in a relationship where you are trying to "lead" that person into a relationship with Jesus but it just doesn't seem to be going anywhere? Or what about the relationship where you feel exhausted trying to measure up to their standards and almost feel like you're dragging them down with you? I have been in both. I have yet to be in a relationship where we are both pursuing Christ with everything we have and I am totally okay with waiting. It is worth waiting for. In my eyes, a relationship is not worth pursuing unless I know that our eyes are on Him and Him only.
“Don't become partners with those who reject God. How can you make a partnership out of right and wrong? That's not partnership; that's war. Is light best friends with dark? Does Christ go strolling with the Devil?”
2 Corinthians 6:14 (MSG)
You may be in a relationship where your boyfriend or girlfriend isn't on the same page as you. He/she has different priorities. You may even believe that you are "starting to see a change" in them. Which could totally be true. We should never give up on praying for our partners. And God does have the power to change someone. But as followers of Christ, we are not called to settle. We are called to seek God first and the rest will be added.
A few years ago, I saw a preacher call up two people on to stage. One was standing on the stage and one on the ground. He asked for the one on the stage to pull the other up and the one on the ground to pull the other down. Well the person on the ground had a much easier time pulling the other down than vice versa. I have to physically see things for me to understand them. It's kind of like Dating for Dummies. But I got it. When you are in a relationship that is unequally yoked, it is so much easier for that person to pull you down than for you to pull them up.
Sometimes we have to let go of an unhealthy dating relationship to see what else God has in store. When God commands us to be equally yoked, it is for our own protection and joy. It is because He has a better idea. Our relationships will not be the best they possibly can be if we have different values and priorities from our partner.
Trusting in God's plan for our life might mean breaking off that relationship and stepping into a different direction. I'll be the first to say it isn't easy. But it is worth skipping all of the consequences that come along with being in a relationship that only furthers you away from Christ. There are times we will have to pull back from a situation and let God work. No one ever said being obedient was easy. But what I've learned from experience is that the hardest decisions turn out to be the best ones.
