I remember, as a little kid, I would have many friends, both boys and girls. We would do stuff together and go to each other's birthday parties, up until 6th grade. Up until then, they were my friends and I treated them like I would myself, and vice versa. When puberty hit, there was a major change in the way that I treated them and how they treated me.
We couldn't chill out anymore unless there was an equal girl-to-boy ratio. If we were either going to the mall or going to the movies, the boys did stuff together and sat together and the girls did stuff and they all sat together.
There were always those people who wanted to date in 6th grade (which I think is dumb because you can't drive yet and your parents had to drag you and her around) and they would sit in the middle. The girls all wished they had a boyfriend and us boys thought that the guy was either a player or just desperate.
I will say that for most of us, we jump into a relationship because the girl has a beautiful outward appearance that we like. We only care about showing that quality off rather than actually liking her for her inner traits.
We look at models and superstars and make them our basis of how a relationship works. We allow that to be our guide rather than reading the love stories in the Bible like the story of Ruth, Esther, and Rebekah. The authors highlight their beauty, but also tell about their heart and how they served God faithfully and truthfully.
Many times we as guys get into a relationship with a girl only wanting it to be shallow. When we feel bored and tired of her, or when she has qualities that bother us, we move on to another girl. That is why I think (some) marriages fall apart. One of the spouses gets tired and bored of their relationship and want to spice up their life.
Marriage was designed to be fun and interesting. You must truly care about her and truly love her from the inside out, rather than outside in. Being a single pringle, I want to be a friend to both genders. I want to be the friend that you can always talk to and chill out with (maybe be a third wheel if needed, and not be stuck in the friend zone).
When I want to chill with you, I most likely just want to chill out with you and see how God has used you since last time we talked. I want to know if there are any struggles I can pray for. I would like to become friends with my future wife and grow in that friendship before we even begin to date. That way, we have that strong friendship and we know each other well enough to know our strengths and weaknesses and can continue to build upon that after marriage.
But, if I have to be stuck in the friend-zone to even be that guy that's there for you, then I (guess) am fine with that.
