SPOILERS: Read Shara’s love story right here. And find out her answers to popular Christian dating questions like can you actively ‘look’ for a boyfriend while waiting/trusting God and is online dating okay?

Hey sweet friends! Shara is the creator behind Sweet, Surrendered Soul and her heart for faith is clearly evident throughout her ministry. It was so much fun interviewing her for her take on these really popular Christian dating questions and to hear her pieces of Christian dating advice for young adults in the modern world! However, before we get started, I felt that it would be fitting to let you know straight off the bat what questions I have asked, so that you can easily scroll to the ones you would be most interested in without having to read them all — but I do highly recommend reading all these super awesome responses to some of the most popular Christian dating questions! Because her pieces of Christian dating advice for young adults is priceless!

The ‘Get to Know’ Shara’s Love Story Questions

1. What was your God written love story like?
2. What did your journey of ‘singleness’ look like?
3. What did your significant other look for in his future spouse? 

8 Pieces of Christian Dating Advice for Young Adults…

1. How important are my looks to a Godly guy?
2. What are the deal breakers a Godly guy would have? 
3. What cautions or red flags should you look out for in a relationship? 
4. How important is a man’s past reputation?
5. What kind of guy will push you closer to Christ? 
6. Can you actively “look” for a boyfriend while waiting/trusting that God has it? What’s the balance? 
7. How important is it that we share the same ministry dream?
8. Is online dating okay? Or should I trust the Lord to bring a guy into my life? 

So be sure to check out all her pieces of Christian dating advice for young adults! You’re definitely in for a super fun, faith-filled time!

‘Get to Know’ Shara Questions

#1 What is your God written love story? 

The first time I met my husband was when I was a freshman in high school. I was on a date with his best friend, and Garrett tagged along as a 3rd wheel because his friend was nervous. Even though I only dated his friend for a short time, that didn’t stop Garrett and me from building a strong friendship. But little did I know that Garrett had ulterior motives.

Throughout the years of us being best friends, Garrett would try hard to become more, but I friendzoned him pretty hard. It wasn’t until five years later that we started to become more than friends. At this point, I had moved away to another state, and we barely talked much. But a couple of months before we started talking again, God was working on both of our hearts. We both surrendered our lives to Jesus completely separate, but around the same time.

I was struggling one night and tweeted something along the lines of, “I messed up. How could God forgive me.” I was walking in shame and guilt for falling into temptation, and Garrett was there to encourage me back to Christ. That weekend we skyped for 6 hours talking about what God was doing in our lives and how He had changed us.

At that point, I started to develop feelings that I never had for Garrett.  Shortly after, we started dating long-distance for a year and a half. Then I moved back home so we could get married. What can I say? Its a God-written love story through and through.

#2 What did your journey of singleness look like?

When I was single, I didn’t necessarily look for a boyfriend, but I wasn’t not looking either. It wasn’t until a certain point in my life that I decided I was going to stop dating for a while and really work on myself, which is when God was able to work on my heart and change my life. After being a born again believer, I spent my focus on growing my relationship with God, and within the next couple of months, I had been blessed with a man who loved God.

#3 What did your significant other look for in his future spouse? 

My significant other looked for someone who loved God and put God first in their life. He wanted his future spouse to be someone who not only read the Word but did what it said. And of course, someone who he was attracted to emotionally, mentally, physically, etc. was something he looked for too!

8 Pieces of Christian Dating Advice with Shara Hartle…

#1 How important are my looks to a Godly guy? 

I would say that looks are important, but they are not what is MOST important. Of course, guys will look at you and automatically determine if you are physically attracted to them or not. Girls do the same thing. As you get to know someone for who they are, and their love for God, their attractiveness inevitably increases. 

#2 What are the deal breakers a Godly guy would have? 

A deal breaker a godly guy would have would be a woman living a sinful/ungodly lifestyle. You can’t honor God if you are doing things that are displeasing to Him. A Godly guy would want to honor God with his significant other and be on the same page spiritually. 

Another deal-breaker for a Godly guy would be planning on whether to have kids or not. If he wants to have kids, but the girl doesn’t, that may be a deal-breaker. Or vice versa. But there is a chance that the desire to have kids could grow as time goes on, so it would be up to them to see if that would be a deal-breaker or if someone is willing to compromise. 

#3 What cautions or red flags should you look out for in a relationship? 

Some cautions or red flags that you should look out for in a relationship are if they are not living by what the Bible says. For example, are they mean, rude or have bad manners? Are they easily angered and lash out, or are they overly secretive and show no desire to grow in their relationship with Jesus?

#4 How important is a man’s past reputation? 

If a man is a new creation in Christ, then his past reputation should not be used against him and does not determine who he is now. I would say that it is important to know for relational reasons but shouldn’t change your perspective towards him. 

#5 What kind of guy will push you closer to Christ? 

A guy who will push you closer to Christ is someone who is actively seeking the Lord, reading the Word, praying often, involved within a Christian community, attending church weekly, and filling himself up with other Christian books or resources. 

#6 Can you actively “look” for a boyfriend while waiting/trusting that God has it? What’s the balance? 

I believe that you can keep your eyes open to the people around you as you wait for God to bring you the right person. You need to find the balance of trusting God but being aware of who is around you. 

It’s important to look to God for the right person rather than going out and trying to find him on your own. 

#7 How important is it that we share the same ministry dream? 

I believe that it is important to share the same vision and purpose in life, but as for working towards a specific ministry dream, I believe that you can do that together or separately. And when I say separately, I still mean with the support of your spouse, but maybe they have their hands off of it. 

#8 Is online dating okay? Or should I trust the Lord to bring a guy into my life? 

In my opinion, I think online dating is OK, but I do believe there is a wrong way and a right way to approach online dating. If you are seeking after the Lord and get the OK from Him to do it, then go for it! But if you do not feel at peace about it or you’re intentions are wrong, then I think you should keep seeking the Lord. When online dating, I suggest that you go with a Christian platform of some sort and have a list of questions that relate to growing in Christ; that way you can weed out those that just claim to be Christians and find those that are actually pursuing God and living a godly lifestyle.

I think whether you online date or look for a significant other out in the Christian community, you should be trusting the Lord for leading you to the right person. 

Written by Shara Hartle

Hi there! My name is Shara Hartle, and I am the creator of Sweet Surrendered Soul. I have been living for Jesus since 2014 and have been married since 2016. I love reading, writing, doodling, creating, having coffee with friends, and eating ice cream. I am passionate about encouraging and discipling other women through the Word and talking about things that matter!

Blog: https://sweetsurrenderedsoul.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sweetsurrenderedsoul

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sweetsurrenderedsoul

Hey! Here Are Other Resources…

—> CLICK THE LINK TO READ … 7 Popular Relationship Questions Answered By Bethany

—> CLICK THE LINK TO READ … How to Be a Godly Friend | Do you Have Any of these Characteristics?

—> CLICK THE LINK TO READ … 23 Lifechanging Lessons in 23 Amazing Years

or browse the blog HERE!

…

Before You Go!

Hope you enjoyed Shara’s 8 pieces of Christian dating advice for young adults! If you would like to have a question answered, please send one in through this link.

Hey friend! Hope you enjoyed this little Christian dating advice and Q&A with the super awesome Shara! Drop a comment in the comment section below showing some love for her!

Follow the Girls After Truth Instagram

Don’t forget to follow the Girls After Truth Instagram account for faith-filled hand-lettering + art, daily devotionals and a sneak peek behind-the-scenes look into the ministry life <3 And use the hashtag #girlsaftertruth to get connected!

—> CLICK HERE to Follow the Girl After Truth Instagram!

Hope to see ya there!