Sermon

The 10 Signs of a Hopeless Romantic (Christian Singles Edition)

Christian Advice for Single Christians Podcast

Open publisher episode ↗

Publisher transcript

Transcript

View source ↗
  1. The hopeless romantic. You've probably heard the term,

  2. and if you're single and dating in the

  3. Christian world, you may even be one, but

  4. what exactly is a hopeless romantic, especially

  5. from a Christian perspective?

  6. Is it a bad thing, a good thing,

  7. or just something that requires a little guidance

  8. and prayer?

  9. Let's dive in. A hopeless romantic is someone

  10. who absolutely loves the idea of love. They

  11. often dream about the perfect relationship,

  12. the fairy tale ending, and let's be honest,

  13. long walks on the beach while holding hands

  14. under the sunset. Cue the romantic music. And

  15. while there's nothing wrong with appreciating romance,

  16. being a hopeless romantic can sometimes lead to

  17. unrealistic

  18. expectations,

  19. especially when it comes to Christian dating. You

  20. see, being a hopeless romantic as a Christian

  21. means you not only want that deep soul

  22. stirring love, but you also want it to

  23. reflect the beauty and sacredness of a relationship

  24. centered on Christ.

  25. And let's face it, those two things don't

  26. always come in the same package. So what

  27. exactly are the signs of a hopeless romantic

  28. in the Christian dating world? Here are 10

  29. signs you might be a hopeless

  30. romantic

  31. with a good dose of humor and some

  32. solid biblical wisdom to help you keep your

  33. heart grounded.

  34. One,

  35. you love a good proposal video and maybe

  36. have cried over a few.

  37. Let's be real. Real. If you're a hopeless

  38. romantic, you've definitely spent more time than you'd

  39. like to admit watching elaborate proposal videos on

  40. YouTube.

  41. The ones with the flash mobs, surprise serenades,

  42. and dramatic

  43. tears of joy.

  44. Yep, you've seen them all and you might

  45. even keep tissues nearby for the inevitable waterworks.

  46. But here's the thing,

  47. while grand gestures are lovely, they aren't the

  48. foundation of a biblical marriage. In first Peter

  49. four eight, we're reminded

  50. that above all, love each other deeply because

  51. love covers over a multitude of sins.

  52. Real love goes beyond the Instagram worthy moments.

  53. It's about loving your partner deeply every day,

  54. not just during a perfectly choreographed proposal.

  55. Two, you write love letters in your head

  56. to your future spouse.

  57. Ever catch yourself daydreaming about the day you'll

  58. finally meet your future spouse? Maybe you've even

  59. drafted mental love letters to them, just waiting

  60. for the moment when you can put them

  61. to paper. And hey, nothing wrong with writing

  62. a love letter. But let's keep it real

  63. for a second. As wonderful as it is

  64. to dream about your future relationship,

  65. it's important to trust God's timing and plan.

  66. Proverbs sixteen:nine says, in their hearts, humans plan

  67. their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.

  68. So while you can dream, make sure your

  69. focus is on walking faithfully with God in

  70. the present.

  71. Three, you believe in the one and only

  72. the one.

  73. A hopeless romantic tends to believe that there

  74. is exactly one person out there who is

  75. destined to be their perfect match. While it's

  76. sweet to think about the one, this idea

  77. can sometimes be a little misleading.

  78. Why?

  79. Because it puts an incredible amount of pressure

  80. on finding someone who meets every criteria on

  81. your list.

  82. The Bible offers a different perspective on marriage.

  83. Instead of focusing on finding the one, we're

  84. encouraged to love selflessly.

  85. Ephesians five twenty five instructs,

  86. husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved

  87. the church and gave himself up for her.

  88. It's about sacrificial love and devotion, not a

  89. perfect checklist.

  90. Four,

  91. you picture every first date as the beginning

  92. of a fairy

  93. tale.

  94. If you find yourself planning the wedding after

  95. a really good first date, you might be

  96. a hopeless romantic. It's easy to get caught

  97. up in the excitement and wonder if this

  98. person could be the one that God has

  99. prepared for you. You're practically picking out baby

  100. names before dessert. While there's nothing wrong with

  101. being hopeful, it's important to remember that relationships

  102. take time and effort.

  103. First Corinthians thirteen four to seven tells us

  104. that love is patient,

  105. love is kind, it does not envy, it

  106. does not boast, it is not proud. So

  107. take it slow,

  108. allow the relationship to grow, and focus on

  109. building a solid foundation

  110. before rushing into the future.

  111. Five. You've read every Christian romance novel and

  112. probably have opinions on all the characters.

  113. Christian romance novels can be lovely with characters

  114. who overcome obstacles,

  115. find faith,

  116. and fall in love. What's not to enjoy?

  117. But if you find yourself comparing every date

  118. to the fictional lead in your favorite book,

  119. we may have a problem.

  120. In real life, relationships are messy, imperfect,

  121. and require more than just a great storyline.

  122. James one twenty two encourages us to be

  123. doers of the word and not hearers only.

  124. It's good to enjoy a Christian love story,

  125. but we should also focus on living out

  126. biblical love in real life. That means forgiveness,

  127. grace,

  128. and yes, sometimes even conflict resolution.

  129. Six,

  130. you believe in love at first sight or

  131. at least really,

  132. really hope it's real.

  133. Hopeless romantics love the idea of locking eyes

  134. across a crowded room and knowing instantly that

  135. this person is the one.

  136. You probably hope for that magical movie style

  137. moment where time slows down, the music swells,

  138. and boom, you're in love. But real love

  139. usually doesn't happen in a single moment. It's

  140. built over time through trust, communication, and shared

  141. experiences.

  142. Colossians three fourteen says, and over all these

  143. virtues put on love, which binds them all

  144. together in perfect unity.

  145. Love is something we put on, an action

  146. and a commitment that grows,

  147. not just a feeling we fall into.

  148. Seven, you overanalyze

  149. every text message for signs of true love.

  150. Did he use a smiley face? Was that

  151. emoji really necessary?

  152. Is she texting back quickly

  153. or is there a strategic pause between each

  154. message if you find yourself dissecting every single

  155. text for signs of deep affection?

  156. Welcome to the world of hopeless romantics.

  157. But let's not forget, love is about more

  158. than words on a screen. In Matthew seven

  159. twenty, Jesus reminds us, by their fruit, you

  160. will recognize them. It's someone's actions, how they

  161. treat you, how they show kindness and respect

  162. that truly matter in the long run. A

  163. well placed emoji won't tell you if they're

  164. the one God has for you.

  165. Eight, you think every wedding you attend is

  166. your destiny calling.

  167. You go to a wedding and suddenly feel

  168. like you're in a romantic

  169. comedy.

  170. The beautiful couple at the altar, the vows,

  171. the emotional speeches, your heart is bursting and

  172. you can't help but think, when will it

  173. be my turn?

  174. Bonus points if you've ever caught the bouquet

  175. and saw it as a divine sign.

  176. While weddings are beautiful celebrations of love, they're

  177. not necessarily a predictor of your own future

  178. timeline.

  179. Psalm twenty seven fourteen encourages us wait for

  180. the Lord.

  181. Be strong and take heart and wait for

  182. the Lord.

  183. God's timing for your own love story is

  184. unique and it's worth waiting for.

  185. Nine, you believe the right person will complete

  186. you.

  187. Cue the famous line from Jerry Maguire, you

  188. complete me. Hopeless romantics often have this idea

  189. that the right person will fill every empty

  190. space in their heart and solve all their

  191. problems.

  192. But as Christians, we know there's only one

  193. person who can truly complete us and it's

  194. not a spouse, but Jesus.

  195. In Colossians two ten, it says, in Christ,

  196. you have been brought to fullness.

  197. Christ completes us. Marriage is a beautiful partnership

  198. where you complement one another, but no human

  199. can fill the space only God was meant

  200. to occupy.

  201. 10, you believe your love story will be

  202. the best of all time.

  203. Lastly, hopeless romantics often believe their love story

  204. will be the greatest of all time. A

  205. combination of all the best romance movies

  206. and books wrapped into one. But here's the

  207. reality, the greatest love story of all time

  208. has already been written. It's the story of

  209. Christ's love for his church. Ephesians five twenty

  210. five to 27

  211. beautifully illustrates this love. Husbands, love your wives

  212. just as Christ loved the church and gave

  213. himself up for her to make her holy.

  214. The love story you're hoping for pales in

  215. comparison to the sacrificial love Jesus has for

  216. us. So while your love story might not

  217. have a Hollywood script, it can still reflect

  218. the greatest love of all.

  219. Final thoughts, hopeless romantic hopeful heart.

  220. Being a hopeless romantic isn't all bad. After

  221. all, it means you have a big heart

  222. full of love and hope for the future.

  223. But as Christian singles, it's important to balance

  224. that that romantic idealism with biblical wisdom and

  225. truth.

  226. Remember, real love is less about grand gestures

  227. and more about everyday faithfulness,

  228. patience, and kindness.

  229. So embrace the romance, enjoy the dreams, but

  230. let God write your love story in his

  231. perfect timing.

  232. Trust that he knows the desires of your

  233. heart and is preparing something far greater than

  234. anything you could imagine, whether or not it

  235. looks like the movies.