“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.” – 1 Corinthians 9:24 (ESV)
Dating as a Christian isn’t about running aimlessly, chasing after feelings, or sprinting toward marriage out of pressure. It’s about running the race with your eyes fixed on the prize—Jesus Himself. When your focus is on Him, the rest falls into place.
Because here’s the truth: when you’re running your race wholeheartedly after Christ, surrendered to His will and strengthened by His Spirit, one day you’ll look to your right—and notice someone running in stride with you. Not lagging behind where you have to drag them along. Not so far ahead that you feel you’ll never catch up. But someone who matches your pace, shares your devotion, and fixes their eyes on the same prize.
This person doesn’t become your prize. They’re a co-runner, a partner, someone who can worship alongside you, do ministry with you, and encourage you with Scripture. Someone who helps you stay faithful because they’re just as hungry to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’” – Matthew 25:23 (ESV)
Being entrusted with “more” in God’s timing can look like marriage, where you are given the great responsibility of honoring, respecting, and guarding one another’s hearts. It means committing to pray together, to encourage one another in faith, and to build one another up instead of tearing each other down.
Communication Tips for Runners in Relationship:
- When you disagree, remember: the person across from you is a child of God.
- Pray together—even in the middle of an argument.
- Respect each other’s perspective, even when it’s different.
- Remember your shared goal: to keep Jesus as the third cord that holds you together.
“A threefold cord is not quickly broken.” – Ecclesiastes 4:12 (ESV)
Running Through the Seasons
This race isn’t always smooth. Seasons come, and each one tests our faith.
Spring – Hopeful, exciting, beautiful. The run feels light. Prayers are fresh, doors are opening, life feels promising.
Summer – The heat is on. Maybe pressure builds—family and friends asking, “When are you getting married?” Or the demands of life feel heavy. It’s easy to grow weary, but keep your eyes on Jesus.
Fall – Things feel dry. Prayers seem to fall flat. You may feel like an empty husk. This is where you lean into Christ as your Vine.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” – John 15:5 (ESV)
Winter – Cold, dark, discouraging. Hope seems far away. You wonder if you’ll always be running alone, or if dating will only bring disappointment.
But as you keep going, God’s love begins to thaw the cold places of your heart. His Spirit breathes new life into you. And suddenly, spring blossoms again.
Running With Joy
Happiness is fleeting. But joy—the joy of your salvation—is unshakable.
“Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.” – Psalm 51:12 (ESV)
When you run with Jesus as your joy, you’re no longer desperate for another person to complete you. Instead, you’re filled up in Him, which allows you to pour into someone else freely.
And when you find another runner who also treasures that joy of salvation? That’s where kingdom partnership happens. No matter what valleys you go through, you both know that Jesus is the source of strength, the healer, the provider. Neither of you is the other’s savior—Christ is.
So keep running, Race Runner. Fix your eyes on the true prize. Trust that in God’s timing, He may bring someone alongside you who matches your stride, who shares your vision, and who longs with you to hear at the finish line:
“Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Final Word: Run with endurance. Run with hope. Run with joy. And above all—run with Jesus as your prize.
Breakwater Blessings 
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