Why Our Romantic Love Should Center Spirit

A traditional Christian courtship is when a romantic couple wanting a long-term relationship chooses to center God within their journey, rooting their relationship in Christian beliefs and values.

What sets courtship and dating apart is that in courtship, there is a clear intention from the very beginning that the goal of the couple’s union is marriage. 

At its core, courtship is a journey of faith, love, and commitment to God and aligning with God's will.

Courtship will likely look different for each couple, but the main goals in courtship are regularly seeking God’s guidance, family involvement, establishing a friendship, building trust, and having faith in God’s timing. 

A courtship gives a couple time to build intentional trust and vulnerability with themselves and God.

Across Africa, there are different courtship and marriage rites. As we consider what courtship could look like in our own relationships, we can blend our Christian and Afro-diasporic courtship practices. 

Whether romantic or platonic, any relationship we enter with intentions of building a long-term community should better our connection with Spirit. Let’s practice asking ourselves, “How does my connection with this person help to bring me closer to Spirit?” 

Our long-term relationships should support the path Spirit has laid for us.