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If my sources are correct, the following scenario is played out frequently among the world of Christian singles. It happens on both sides of the gender line, but allow me to talk about it from my own female perspective.
A man meets a woman and begins to show interest in her. He asks her to spend time with him on a regular basis: hiking, biking, watching videos. He calls her at least once a week just to talk. He begins telling her about the deeper things in his heart and invites her to share at this level as well. He sends her mushy "friendship" cards and tells her that she means a great deal to him. He may become a little affectionate: the hugs begin to linger.
The relationship has been defined as friendship, if it has been defined at all. But after all this special attention, the woman is definitely feeling more. So she asks the guy what's going on. To her surprise, he does a quick about-face. He insists they are just friends. After that, he avoids her, leaving her hurt and bewildered. She feels rejected - she has lost not only a romantic interest (she thought) but worse, a close and trusted friend. And she feels stupid. Did she really misread all those signals?
After I experienced this as a single woman, I asked a friend my friend "Joe" to help me understand why guys do this. After I told him my woeful tale, he said, "I did that to somebody once."
"What? Why would you ever do such a thing?" I asked.
"We were getting too close, and it scared me," he said.
This helped me understand why the "just friends" syndrome is so widespread. A guy wants to get to know a girl, but without the pressure of dating. So he spends a lot of time with her, treating her in many ways like a girlfriend but defining the relationship as friends. This way, if it begins to look like there's no future in the relationship, there's no messy breakup. It sounds like a nice arrangement - for the guy.
But that approach can be a problem for the woman. If a man tells a woman he just wants to "be friends" but he treats her like it's more than friendship, she will believe his behavior instead of his words. It sets her up for a big disappointment. Or if he invokes the "just friends" mantra after being asked about the nature of the relationship, but then promptly begins to distance himself from the friendship, again, his actions do not match his words.
He may think he's sparing her feelings by avoiding a breakup. But by defining the relationship as a friendship, he hurts her even more deeply when he disappears. A dating relationship comes with certain risks. But she expects a friendship - especially such a close one to continue.
Think about it this way: A broken dating relationship says only, "I don't want to marry you;" a broken friendship says to her, "I don't want/value you on any level."
Taking a woman down this path violates two scriptural principles. First, it's dishonest. The apostle Paul said that it was the way of the world - not of a godly man - to say "yes, yes" and "no, no" in the same breath (2 Cor. 1:17). A man of integrity will call a relationship what it is. Second, it is not kind or loving. The "just friends" approach may be safer for the guy, but it is harmful to the woman. In effect, he is asking her for the rewards of a dating relationship - companionship, emotional intimacy, even affection - without the responsibility. He is playing with her heart, and her heart will probably get broken.
But what if a guy does only want to be friends - or wants to develop a friendship before he decides to date? It's pretty simple. He just treats the woman like all his other friends. He doesn't spend more time with her or call her more often than he does his other friends. He usually invites other people along when he gets together with her. He doesn't pick up the tab when just the two of them go out. He avoids compliments that might communicate she is "special" to him. He lets her know he spends time with other women. He's extremely careful about showing any physical affection - even playful shoves or hugs. If, after getting to know her from a safe emotional distance, he wants a deeper relationship, he tells her that he wants to date her.
What if you are not thinking about more than friendship, but she asks about your intentions? Tell her you appreciate her friendship, but be honest about where you are. Above all, though it may be awkward for a while continue to be her friend.
Years ago, I began to be attracted to a male friend. Though I hadn't really been getting any signals that he was interested in me, I knew it would help settle my emotions to hear it from him. I asked. He affirmed me as a person but told me gently - but clearly - that he thought of me only as a friend. And then he did a wonderful thing. He kept being my friend. Though it hurt a little to learn I wasn't attractive to him in that way, it helped to know he still valued me and wanted me around. This was nearly 15 years ago, and though we have both moved to different states and married, we are friends to this day.
Women can be great friends. But guys, unless you are ready for a dating relationship, please be careful to treat us "as sisters, with absolute purity" (1 Tim. 5:2), not as girlfriends, nor as something in between. Your honesty - with yourself and with us - will be pleasing to the LORD, and prevent hurtful confusion for your sisters in Christ.
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Last edited by JoieDeVivre; 28th February 2003 at 04:31 AM.
Gotta love generalizations.
But what do I know? All I do is drink beer, watch football, and try to have sex with anything that has 2 legs and a heartbeat.
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JoieDeVivre, good post. I understand where you are coming from but, I think it goes both ways. That is Christian guys have to be careful not to play with their sisters in Christ hearts (intentionally or not). Christian girls also have to be careful to guard their hearts. I have a lot of friends that are girls right now and I do my best to balance solid friendship without leading them on. Ofcourse some friendships will be closer than others (just as I'm closer with some guys than others).
__________________ "Good philosophy must exist, if for no other reason, because bad philosophy needs to be answered." -- C.S. Lewis
just as the_man said, it goes both ways.
Girls (yeah, i'm generalizing...sue me ) often tend to be more affectionate to their friends (both male and female) and guys being who they are - guys - usually suck at reading signals, and with all the hype given by the media and other guys to look for those signals women are throwing at us, sometimes look too much into things that aren't there...we sometimes see that the girl being affectionate might mean something more than it is. It's tough for guys too when you have a friend (female) that you really like who's spending alot of time with you and giving you hugs and stuff that then tells you that she still only wants to be friends. (and the same thing often happens as what Joie said, the distancing thing)
I just find it funny that this is the first time I've ever heard a girl complain about "Just friends."
Like, every one of my guy friends loathed hearing those words come from a girl.
It's totally not cool that you pin this on guys.
I'm down on guys, don't get me wrong, but I'm on their side with this one.
I had a similar thing happen. I had been hanging out a lot with a guy friend - it's not like I was the one inviting him over all the time, though. We studied together, hung out with other friends, hung out alone in his room. I was confused about our relationship, as in I needed it to be defined. We eventually started officially dating, but I unexpectedly got the "let's just be friends" message from him a week after this semester started.
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For what the OP wrote about, I have experienced it. And it does hurt. I am going through it now and it really stinks. I really dislike the "let's just be friends" line when someone's actions have given ideas leading to think there is something more going on.
Like it or not fellows, some guys do this. But to be fair, girls do it too. I think the lesson for both genders is to watch how you are treating someone. Guarding your heart is for both guys and girls. I think this is where you have to evaluate why you are dating and the messages you are sending to others. I know it may be awkard in the beginning, but a defined relationship (and sticking to that unless both agree to change it) is really helpful for both.
So maybe a good question for both genders is how do you get the definition needed in a relationship to avoid situations like the OP describes? Definition without the awkardness and the loss of a friendship that sometimes happens.
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I think that it is partly the way men and women are put together emotionally. Not like men are from mars and women are from venus, but there are differences in the way men and women respond in relationships. The best book on the topic I've ever read is "Too Close, Too Soon" by Jim Talley and Bobbie Reed. Don't get put off by the title, it is really a book that will help you understand the dynamics of a dating/friendship relationship. There are even chapters that will help you develop your relationship, and help you get to know one another better. Maybe it's a guy thing, I loved the book, and my wife never finished it before we got married.
how about we all treat each other with a decent and respectable manner not like the way the society shows you. the society is like a disease, you live with it and it gets you and soon you're like it. Watchout! just my two cents.
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Just Friends? [A Must Read, Especially For Guys] 
) often tend to be more affectionate to their friends (both male and female) and guys being who they are - guys - usually suck at reading signals, and with all the hype given by the media and other guys to look for those signals women are throwing at us, sometimes look too much into things that aren't there...we sometimes see that the girl being affectionate might mean something more than it is. It's tough for guys too when you have a friend (female) that you really like who's spending alot of time with you and giving you hugs and stuff that then tells you that she still only wants to be friends. (and the same thing often happens as what Joie said, the distancing thing) 
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