Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!dimacs.rutgers.edu!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: psburns@lims02.lerc.nasa.gov (MAUREEN BURNS) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Role as a mature Christian Message-ID: Date: 1 Apr 91 06:19:03 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: NASA Lewis Research Center Lines: 39 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu As a little aside on the dating issue, if I were to start dating a baby Christian who is maybe about 6 months old in the Lord, what is my role as an older, more mature (about 5 years) Christian woman in the relationship? It is my deepest desire to have a mate who is the spiritual head of the family, who has a passion for God's word, has a vibrant prayer life, and has a desire for involvement in some kind of ministry. Am I expecting too much too soon from a young Christian? Am I to simply encourage and suggest, or am I too be responsible for discipling such a man? How can I encourage him without stripping him of dignity, or robbing him of the opportunity to let God teach him some lessons, painful as they may be? I've been in this situation before, and it's really obvious to me that I made some pretty bad mistakes, even though I really thought I was doing it right. I've brought this issue to Jesus so often in prayer, and He's been faithful to answer my prayers, but as the Scriptures go: "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. " Can someone sharpen me please? Thanks muchly!! Maureen [In I Cor 7:16 Paul obviously forsees the possibility that a wife may help lead her husband to faith, but of course that's a rather different situation than yours. I'm probably not the right person to give advice on marriage and dating, but I wonder whether it make sense to "disciple" either a husband or wife. I'm not sure quite what you have in mind by the term, but if you're thinking of a role of spiritual advisor or counsellor, I'd think this would demand a kind of objectivity that would be hard to reconcile with the role of husband or wife, just as it's generally a bad idea for doctors to treat their family, etc. Of course you should care about the spiritual development of your spouse, and you should try to be helpful, but it sounds like you have in mind a bit more formal sort of responsibility. --clh] give --clh]