Now, I know what you're thinking. What the heck, Allison? He's the man of my dreams for a reason. He's everything I've ever wanted in a partner. I've searched high and low, far and wide for the perfect guy and I finally found him. Now you're saying I shouldn't date him? You're crazy. But... stay with me. Have you ever thought about how this man came into your life?

Thanks to modern day dating apps such as Tinder and Match.com, love interests of all sorts have become very easily accessible. All it takes is a quick mutual swipe of the screen to be paired with what some internet formula considers to be your "perfect match" based solely off of looks and charm (what's on his profile). This sort of online dating has taken us far away from the traditional way.

The traditional way of dating was simple- a man pursues a woman, being intentional with every step taken to further the relationship. However, we, as a society, have rid this and complicated everything. Nowadays, most people tend to think of dating as a mere status as opposed to a process. Instead of being full of clarity and reassurance, relationships are now full of ambiguity and anxiety. This is not how it was meant to be.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 explains what real, true love should look like. Something we don't see too often these days. But why is that? I believe it has something to do with the way we go about finding a partner. We are usually inclined to take matters into our own hands. We think we can control everything in our lives. This is just simply not true. The Bible says to trust God- with EVERYTHING (Proverbs 3: 5-6). This includes our dating lives.

Ever since you were a little girl, you probably already started planning your dream wedding with your dream guy. It's just something us girls do. As we grow older, we try to go out and find the man who can fulfill these childhood dreams. Sometimes we get lucky and find that man. And sometimes we get lucky and start dating that man. But, a lot of the time, this man turns out not all he's cracked up to be.

At the beginning of a relationship, we tend to put on our best face. Show our potential partner what they will be missing if they don't continue a relationship with you. Sell ourselves like a product- telling the other of all the benefits that come with us. But this is just a facade. The initial attraction and infatuation in the "puppy dog phase" will wear off eventually and the bad and the ugly will begin to show. This will break your heart. You'll be left wondering why they've changed so drastically. But the truth of the matter is, they haven't. You just went about finding this man all wrong.

So don't date the man of your dreams. Instead, date the man of your prayers. Give it to God. Pray about it. There is no need to take it upon yourself. It is not your obligation nor your responsibility to find this man. God will provide him for you. Philippians 4:6 says not to "worry about anything; instead pray about everything..." Anything really does mean anything. Including your love life. The man He will put into your life will be FAR better than any man you could've dreamt up yourself. We think we know what is best for us because it's what we want, but it's not what we need. Only God knows what we truly need.

So, my friends. I'm going to end with the cliche: "Let go and let God." Because, guess what? It's a cliche for a reason. It works. Consistently and well.

Happy dating!