My boyfriend and I have been dating for about 6 months and I'm looking for some direction in boundaries in our relationship. We are both incoming sophmores in college and 19 years old- for some perspective. I prayed for quite awhile about if it was Gods will for the two of us to date and if god wanted me to be a part if this boys life. Both of us are Christians, we both know, follow and love the lord with our lives to the best of our ability and I feel incredibly blessed with the spiritual growth that both my boyfriend an this relationship have brought me. We freely share verses with each other to encourage one another as well as pray together as a couple and I find joy in our growing relationship as a couple within the lord.
Lately, though, I've started to become concerned with the emotional boundaries that we set in our relationship. I find myself more and mOre attached to him every day, I feel like I am fortunate enough to be dating my best friend- someone I can confide in and pray with about anything at all. In my past relationship (no plural here) I was waysvery conscious about guarding my heart and making sure that I was careful about the amount of attachment that was built in my relationship since #1 the nature of dating, rather than courting, is that it will most likely end #2 i am very afraid of emotional investment because it can totally end up with intense heartbreak. But in this relationship I'm finding that guarding my heart is intensely difficult. I am aware that I am very early in the relationship, but I find myself intensely emotionally vulnerable with him more and more often and the amount of time I spend with him is very lengthy.
Both of us also struggle with Anxiety and he is diagnosed with GAD (generalized anxiety disorder). I struggled very badly with anxiety attacks in my early childhood and struggled very seriously with anxiety attacks and the spiritual warfare that comes with it in my freshman year in high school. My boyfriend just began struggling with it this last year or so, and was going through his roughest time when we met. When he explained the numerous doctors visits and mood swings I was eager to share with him my identical struggle and how God led me to the light on the other side. I have been blessed enough to work and pray alongside him and watch him slowly recover over the last two months. This occurred very early in the relationship and pushed our relationship to become stressed and emotionally vulnerable probably a lot sooner than most relationships normally develop. However, in the long run I've found that its has brought crazy strength and endurance to our relationship that we wouldn't have otherwise seen so early on. So as you can see, our relationship has been emotionally jump-started from the beginning.
Now, my parents comment that I spend too much time with him and text him all too often (we text daily, and on our summer break I see him about four times a week). The conflicting messages in my head are these - Half of me says that god designed our hearts to be loved and To give out love. That it's extremely hard to develop friendship or emotional intimacy with someone if you keep your heart locked up and 'hold out on loving'. And that it's important to tell those that you care about that you love them, and often. Also that the experiences that we have gone through (although not hugely difficult but still stressful) have brought us closer as friends, an often we communicate and talk like best friends. The other half of me has the conflicting messages that I've heard told to me all my life- my parents see my relationship as trivial and feel that attachment is not a smart thing- I don't believe they see the possibility of my relationship lasting ( or they dislike the idea of their daughter dating, most likely the latter) so therefore dont see use in encouraging the relationship very much. Many of the pastors at my church, including my college pastor, believe in courting- so very limited or no one on one time or 'dating' interactions, so obviously teach that even the dates we go on are not what God intended for relationships. Some of my friends even date on the basis that they will not say 'I love you' until they are engaged. ]These conflicting Ideas oftentimes leave me increasingly uncertain on how I conduct my relationship.
Besides this fact, for some reason I struggle with trust issues a lot, every time i feel close to him i feel myself push away emotionally and become distant and I hurt him badly in the process. I pray about this but I'm stillso unsure, am I brushing away the spirits natural tug at my heart to guard it or do I truly have trust issues?
So, i wonder, Is it smart that I'm being so cautious? I want so badly to go about this relationship in a way that glorifies God. Is it wrong that I am even dating rather than courting him? Is emotional attachment on such a deep level so early in the relationship a red flag? How can I better guard my heart without struggling with trust issues or hiding my heart?
The second part of this is much more troubling to me, because as I find myself struggling with emotional boundary issues physical boundary issues are following. At first I was cautious about kissing at all, thinking it was sinful to express that kind of affection toward someone I am not married to. I then found myself alright with kissing, which then turned into passionate French kissing. After a few months of just kissing goodbyes my boyfriend leaned over and started kissing me in his car, then tilted the seat all the way back. I found myself lying down and kissing, a position that I always thought of as a boundary you should never cross. I expressed this belief to him and even though he disagreed that it was wrong, agreed to draw the line there. I found out though that things like these are losing battles- and a month later found that every time we started kissing we'd always end up lying down, having steamy make out sessions. There were many times when i found that we were going way too far for my comfort, his shirt came off at one point and hands were wandering. I've also found that being close like this has really not tricked our bodies either- that we react physically in the same way as we would if we were actially having sex. I expressed to him about how I felt like this was not alright, it wasn't pure, and we set boundaries accordingly- where clothes always stay on no matter what and hands don't wander. But even that doesnt help both of is getting worked up. This is where we stand now, and when were close like this I didn't feel like its wrong, but once I get home I find that I am plagued by horrible guilt. So much so that ive had anxiety attacks ( that i havent experienced in years) regarding his guilt. I feel horrible about stirring him up in this way and getting physically close. I feel like I am sinning because I am not being pure in my relationship. I've talked to my boyfriend about this and he will hear me out. I worry because I feel so close when we are physical like this, in the intimate way that God desired- but I feel like I am taking something that is not mine, that this kind of intimacy is designed only for marriage- because it is intimacy brought about by being physical. I feel like it is stirring up desires that can't be fulfilled until marriage and that we're making it harder for ourselves and tempting each other. I also feel a lot of shame. A real, plaguing kind of shame about this. I don't feel like I can share any of this with my youth pastors, as they will surely say that I shouldnt even be dating anyway and even kissing is seen as impure.
I am also conflicted in this as well, I want to be close to my boyfriend- but I want to be pure as well. Am I sinful for being this physical? If I want I set boundaries That are pure in gods eyes wouldn't that mean that holding hands is the end of it and nothing more?
I also wonder about this horrible guilt I feel that makes me feel so sick. Is this god warning me about a sin in my life? Is Satan attacking me in my moment of weakness and low self esteem and causing this intense anxiety? Does god use guilt as a tool to catch my attention?
Or am I Overthinking all of this- our clothes stay on and nothing more happens- our boundaries are firm and we know where both of us stand. Passing those boundaries are not an option for the two of us. And going all the way is not even a desire on either of our parts because we understand the emotional consequences before marriage.
I look at all of this and really really wonder if I'm just making excuses for myself or if I'm completely fine and Satan is taking advantage of my anxious tendencies and giving me false guilt.
I have come to god with this many times but I always find myself uncertain. Above all else I desire for this relationship to be PURE and delightful in gods sight.
I appreciate anyone who has taken the time to read my story and reason along with me on this, I would love to read your responses to help with this uncertainty.
Lately, though, I've started to become concerned with the emotional boundaries that we set in our relationship. I find myself more and mOre attached to him every day, I feel like I am fortunate enough to be dating my best friend- someone I can confide in and pray with about anything at all. In my past relationship (no plural here) I was waysvery conscious about guarding my heart and making sure that I was careful about the amount of attachment that was built in my relationship since #1 the nature of dating, rather than courting, is that it will most likely end #2 i am very afraid of emotional investment because it can totally end up with intense heartbreak. But in this relationship I'm finding that guarding my heart is intensely difficult. I am aware that I am very early in the relationship, but I find myself intensely emotionally vulnerable with him more and more often and the amount of time I spend with him is very lengthy.
Both of us also struggle with Anxiety and he is diagnosed with GAD (generalized anxiety disorder). I struggled very badly with anxiety attacks in my early childhood and struggled very seriously with anxiety attacks and the spiritual warfare that comes with it in my freshman year in high school. My boyfriend just began struggling with it this last year or so, and was going through his roughest time when we met. When he explained the numerous doctors visits and mood swings I was eager to share with him my identical struggle and how God led me to the light on the other side. I have been blessed enough to work and pray alongside him and watch him slowly recover over the last two months. This occurred very early in the relationship and pushed our relationship to become stressed and emotionally vulnerable probably a lot sooner than most relationships normally develop. However, in the long run I've found that its has brought crazy strength and endurance to our relationship that we wouldn't have otherwise seen so early on. So as you can see, our relationship has been emotionally jump-started from the beginning.
Now, my parents comment that I spend too much time with him and text him all too often (we text daily, and on our summer break I see him about four times a week). The conflicting messages in my head are these - Half of me says that god designed our hearts to be loved and To give out love. That it's extremely hard to develop friendship or emotional intimacy with someone if you keep your heart locked up and 'hold out on loving'. And that it's important to tell those that you care about that you love them, and often. Also that the experiences that we have gone through (although not hugely difficult but still stressful) have brought us closer as friends, an often we communicate and talk like best friends. The other half of me has the conflicting messages that I've heard told to me all my life- my parents see my relationship as trivial and feel that attachment is not a smart thing- I don't believe they see the possibility of my relationship lasting ( or they dislike the idea of their daughter dating, most likely the latter) so therefore dont see use in encouraging the relationship very much. Many of the pastors at my church, including my college pastor, believe in courting- so very limited or no one on one time or 'dating' interactions, so obviously teach that even the dates we go on are not what God intended for relationships. Some of my friends even date on the basis that they will not say 'I love you' until they are engaged. ]These conflicting Ideas oftentimes leave me increasingly uncertain on how I conduct my relationship.
Besides this fact, for some reason I struggle with trust issues a lot, every time i feel close to him i feel myself push away emotionally and become distant and I hurt him badly in the process. I pray about this but I'm stillso unsure, am I brushing away the spirits natural tug at my heart to guard it or do I truly have trust issues?
So, i wonder, Is it smart that I'm being so cautious? I want so badly to go about this relationship in a way that glorifies God. Is it wrong that I am even dating rather than courting him? Is emotional attachment on such a deep level so early in the relationship a red flag? How can I better guard my heart without struggling with trust issues or hiding my heart?
The second part of this is much more troubling to me, because as I find myself struggling with emotional boundary issues physical boundary issues are following. At first I was cautious about kissing at all, thinking it was sinful to express that kind of affection toward someone I am not married to. I then found myself alright with kissing, which then turned into passionate French kissing. After a few months of just kissing goodbyes my boyfriend leaned over and started kissing me in his car, then tilted the seat all the way back. I found myself lying down and kissing, a position that I always thought of as a boundary you should never cross. I expressed this belief to him and even though he disagreed that it was wrong, agreed to draw the line there. I found out though that things like these are losing battles- and a month later found that every time we started kissing we'd always end up lying down, having steamy make out sessions. There were many times when i found that we were going way too far for my comfort, his shirt came off at one point and hands were wandering. I've also found that being close like this has really not tricked our bodies either- that we react physically in the same way as we would if we were actially having sex. I expressed to him about how I felt like this was not alright, it wasn't pure, and we set boundaries accordingly- where clothes always stay on no matter what and hands don't wander. But even that doesnt help both of is getting worked up. This is where we stand now, and when were close like this I didn't feel like its wrong, but once I get home I find that I am plagued by horrible guilt. So much so that ive had anxiety attacks ( that i havent experienced in years) regarding his guilt. I feel horrible about stirring him up in this way and getting physically close. I feel like I am sinning because I am not being pure in my relationship. I've talked to my boyfriend about this and he will hear me out. I worry because I feel so close when we are physical like this, in the intimate way that God desired- but I feel like I am taking something that is not mine, that this kind of intimacy is designed only for marriage- because it is intimacy brought about by being physical. I feel like it is stirring up desires that can't be fulfilled until marriage and that we're making it harder for ourselves and tempting each other. I also feel a lot of shame. A real, plaguing kind of shame about this. I don't feel like I can share any of this with my youth pastors, as they will surely say that I shouldnt even be dating anyway and even kissing is seen as impure.
I am also conflicted in this as well, I want to be close to my boyfriend- but I want to be pure as well. Am I sinful for being this physical? If I want I set boundaries That are pure in gods eyes wouldn't that mean that holding hands is the end of it and nothing more?
I also wonder about this horrible guilt I feel that makes me feel so sick. Is this god warning me about a sin in my life? Is Satan attacking me in my moment of weakness and low self esteem and causing this intense anxiety? Does god use guilt as a tool to catch my attention?
Or am I Overthinking all of this- our clothes stay on and nothing more happens- our boundaries are firm and we know where both of us stand. Passing those boundaries are not an option for the two of us. And going all the way is not even a desire on either of our parts because we understand the emotional consequences before marriage.
I look at all of this and really really wonder if I'm just making excuses for myself or if I'm completely fine and Satan is taking advantage of my anxious tendencies and giving me false guilt.
I have come to god with this many times but I always find myself uncertain. Above all else I desire for this relationship to be PURE and delightful in gods sight.
I appreciate anyone who has taken the time to read my story and reason along with me on this, I would love to read your responses to help with this uncertainty.
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