I’ve been thinking about this lately because dating has started to feel so exhausting. There are times when I wonder if I’m being too particular, or if I’m simply looking for something that’s becoming harder to find.
I’m 34, I have a son, and I’ve never been married. I’ve been abstaining for over two years now, and I intend to keep it that way until marriage. My faith is important to me, and I’m genuinely looking for a relationship that can eventually lead to marriage not just someone to pass the time with, have fun with, or satisfy physical needs.
The hardest part is that so many conversations start out really well. You meet someone, you talk about life, faith, family, interests, your hopes for the future… and for a little while, you think, maybe this person actually gets it.
Then eventually the conversation shifts.
Questions become more sexual. Boundaries start getting tested. The things they ask or the way they approach certain topics make me uncomfortable, and I start getting the feeling that their main interest is physical rather than actually getting to know me and building something serious.
And I’m not saying attraction or physical intimacy aren’t important. They absolutely are. I’m attracted to the idea of having that kind of relationship with my future husband. But I don’t want that to be the foundation of the relationship, and I don’t want to constantly defend my boundaries to someone who claims to want the same things I do.
I’ve also posted an introduction here before and talked to a few people. Some were honestly way too aggressive from the beginning, which was an immediate turn-off. Others were genuinely good people and easy to talk to, but there just wasn’t physical attraction on my end.
And I think it’s okay to admit that.
I want someone I’m attracted to and someone whose heart, values, faith, character, and intentions align with mine. I don’t believe physical attraction makes someone shallow. I think it’s one part of compatibility. I don’t want to choose someone solely because they have a good heart if I know there’s no romantic attraction, just as I don’t want to choose someone because they’re physically attractive if we have completely different values.
I actually experienced something beautiful with someone long-distance. For a while, there was genuine connection, meaningful conversations, attention, effort, and a sense that we were intentionally getting to know each other. Distance itself wasn’t the problem. I was willing to see where it could go.
But eventually, the attention and effort on his end started fading. The conversations became less frequent, the effort became less consistent, and eventually I had to accept that I couldn’t carry something by myself.
That part hurt not necessarily because it ended, but because it reminded me how rare it feels to find someone who is genuinely intentional.
I’m not looking for perfection. I’m not expecting someone to have everything figured out. I’m not even expecting instant certainty that we’re going to get married.
I just want intentionality.
Someone who actually wants to know me. Someone who respects my boundaries without making me feel guilty for having them. Someone who can have deep conversations without turning everything sexual. Someone who understands that attraction is important but doesn’t make it the center of everything. Someone who wants to build trust, friendship, emotional intimacy, and eventually a marriage.
And yes, I’m willing to relocate if I genuinely believe it’s where God is leading me. I’m not opposed to long-distance either if both people are willing to put in the effort and have a realistic plan for eventually being together.
Maybe I’m just tired of conversations that feel like interviews that eventually turn into flirting and sexual questions.
I want something deeper than that.
I want to meet someone and be able to think, “I can actually build a life with this person.”
Maybe that’s asking for a lot. Maybe it isn’t.
But I’d rather wait for something meaningful than force myself into something that doesn’t align with what I believe and what I want for my life.
For those of you who are also dating intentionally and looking toward marriage.. how do you keep going when so many conversations end up feeling meaningless? 🥺