Christian Dating

How Rocky Balboa Revealed The Secret To Succesful Christian Dating

When it comes to Christian dating for Christian singles, sometimes the best advice can come from the strangest of places.

Take for example one of my favorite movies of all time: "Rocky".

I remember my Dad taking me to see it in a theatre when I was 11 or 12. It was an inspiring experience, to say the least, and I came out of that place fired up and ready to conquer the world!

Of course, when you're that age, a lot of the subtle dialogue and plot developments tend to slip by you (What's with all this talking stuff? Gimme more fighting! More punching!).

And it wasn't until I was much older that I realized there was a moment in the movie that is incredibly profound in the context of Christian relationships.

Rocky is talking with Paulie, the surly brother of Adrian, Rocky's girlfriend. Paulie doesn't think much of Adrian and is obviously not happy with these two dating. So he asks, "What is it about my sister that you like so much?"

To which Rocky replies (in the guttural slur that made Stallone famous), "I dunno. She fills gaps."

"Gaps? Whaddya mean gaps?" Paulie says.

"You know, gaps. She's got gaps, I got gaps, together we fill gaps." Rocky states with a shrug.

And at that moment, the beat up, dimwitted character of Rocky Balboa uncovered one the major factors in every successful Christian relationship.

Gap filling.

When we give our lives to the Lord, He comes in and fills the spiritual void. But there are other places in our lives that are void as well.

We all have needs and wants, places where we lack certain things. And when we're looking for a Christian partner, we're looking for someone who can fill those holes. Someone who can take care of those needs and wants.

Someone to fill the gaps.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not talking about a person to do the dishes or pick up the laundry. I'm talking about things inside that we yearn and ache for.

Everyone has them. Some are apparent, some not so much. For example...

When my wife and I started dating, I thought I knew exactly what I wanted in a potential mate. After all, I was 30 years old--I had dated a few people in my time (I used to joke that I had test driven enough cars to know the exact make and model I wanted). And she had many of the attributes I was looking for.

So the gaps were being filled and everything was kosher. But then something interesting happened.

I realized there were gaps in me that I never knew about, things I never realized that I needed or wanted. And as our relationship progressed, they became more and more apparent.

Sure, I thought I had all these outside parameters established...

...but God knew what I REALLY needed.

Ronda came into my life and filled holes I didn't even know were there. And I did the same for her. And in the end, many of the things we felt were so important weren't important at all.

That's how God works. He knows what we need and He knows how to fulfill that need.

When you're dating another Christian single, you can't just look on the outside. You must look inside at how this person fulfills you...or doesn't fulfill you.

Your relationship should be like a jigsaw puzzle, the pieces coming together perfectly to make one entity, one voice singing praises to God.

When you do find that special someone, dig deep and really examine yourself. Are they filling the gaps? And are you letting them?

Today, Ronda and I still laugh about how God put us together to balance each other out.

She's great with money, me not so much. I'm a little more easy going, she's more uptight. I'm a back-of-the- classroom type of guy; she's a front-and-center student.

See what I mean?

Gap filling. One of God's greatest gifts to a man and woman.

Make sure your pieces fit together perfectly.

Christian Dating