The Dating Stamp of Approval
Michelle Arshad, 24, from Toronto, Canada, has had it with traditional dating and trying to find Mr. Right, so she's taken matters into her own hands. Or, taken matters to others' hands. Or, well, something like that.
Ms. Arshad has decided to look for Mr. Right in her own, very innovative way. She now visits local bars and hangouts with an assortment of stamps with which to mark prospective "good dating" candidates.
The stamp of choice reads, "You're cute ... You should hit me up."
With the flick of the wrist, she places her stamp of approval on dating (and potentially mating) prospects.
She shared her strategy in a TikTok video which now has over 2.4 million views.
What could possibly go wrong?
Ladies, "cuteness" is a lousy criterion for dating material.
You want a man with a "stamp of approval," all right. But you want to be sure he carries the ultimate stamp. You want a man after God's own heart. A man who carries the Lord's seal of approval.
Next time you're out looking for a date or a mate, make sure the Lover of his soul has already stamped him with His own mark.
Consider 2 Corinthians 1:22. The New Century Version renders it this way, "He put his mark on us to show us that we are His, and He put His Spirit in our hearts to show us that we are really His."
The Message Version renders verses 20,22 this way, "Whatever God has promised gets stamped with the Yes of Jesus. ... By his Spirit he has stamped us with his eternal pledge - a sure beginning of what he is destined to complete."
Before you place your stamp of approval, look for the Lord's first.
Date Miserable People
CBS channel 3 TV (Phoenix) reports:
You've probably heard the expression "misery loves company." And if that holds true, a new dating app should be very successful!
The app 'Date Miserable People' …[is] the brainchild of Shaun Price. He says he created the site so people could engage in online dating while keeping it real and honest without feeling intimidated.
"D.M.P is an online platform that allows people to engage in online dating honestly and within the realities of their daily lives," Price said.
... "The majority of the sites, everybody's perfect," said Price. "Everybody's got a beautiful picture, everybody loves to travel, everybody loves to hang out with their friends but that's not really who they are.
Many believe that keeping it real means keeping it miserable. As though one can't be honest about the struggles in their life without also being disconsolate. But isn't that the difference faith is supposed to make? Because of Jesus, Christians can keep it real without keeping it miserable. We can face the moment in the light of eternity.
“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18).
The Test of Rejection
The following is a text conversation between a man and woman in the aftermath of a 45-minute date over a single drink somewhere in London earlier this year. Despite the woman’s rejection of the man's request for a second meeting, the man is not willing to give up and offers to cook her dinner. She replies as follows:
'Very kind of you but as I said, I don't think we are right for each other, so would not want to waste your time.'
However, he persists:
'I think we have some potential, and we should explore it. Let's meet up one more time, have dinner at mine and if it doesn't work we can leave it. You don't seem to be someone who gives up too easily. So when can you make it? I'll cook something delicious and treat you well for dessert...'
Standing firm, she texts back:
'Thanks but I don't share your view, sorry! Am sure you will find someone else to cook for!'
As it finally begins to sink in that she is not interested, the man shows his true colors.
'You're unfair and I'm now sorry that I paid for your drink tonight. Can I ask you to pay me back for it? It would just be fair.
The woman agrees to reimburse the spurned Romeo, and asks for bank details and the cost of the drink. Not convinced that she’ll follow through, the world’s cheapest date actually checks up on her to make sure she has paid him back.
Ouch! Rejection is like a cold slap to the face, a blow and a bruise to the ego. In the moment of upset we tend to lose our motivation to continue with pretenses, wanting instead to hurt back. Whether we realize it or not, these moments test our character to the core. Rejection asks the dejected person, “Do you have it in you to be loving, kind and generous when it is no longer to your benefit to be loving, kind and generous?”
When it comes to revealing one’s true character, there are few tests as effective as rejection. No man ever passed this test like Jesus. He was abandoned and rejected, not by just one but by all. Nevertheless, He remained loving, kind and generous. In fact, He insisted on paying our debt!
“He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted” (Isaiah 53:3-4)