DEALING WITH CRUSHES AS A CHRISTIAN TEENAGER

Hey, my fellow teen friend with hormones running in your veins! 

I'm so glad you're here. Thanks for clicking that link that led you here. I promise it'll be worth your time. 

I'm sure you're very curious about this topic. 

Maybe you're here to spy on me and see whether I'll rant about my experience with having a crush. 

He he... Maybe another time (when I feel led to) but not today.

Today's blog post is special. 

Yes!

We have a guest, a veteran content writer in the relationship niche and my friend, who is going to dissect this crucial matter that most of us have struggled or are struggling with for us. 

Let's give a round of applause as we welcome on stage, Miss Ayobami Joy Sanusi.

Ayobami Joy Sanusi is a 300level student of the prestigious University of Obafemi Awolowo. 

She is an educationist, an ardent lover of God. A freelance content writer, editor, and transcriber. A faith, relationship, and lifestyle blogger. 

She loves reading books and listening to edifying music.

She loves seeing believers live in the light of who they are in Christ.

She is passionate about helping people especially young ones; teenagers and youths through one-on-one counseling or by reaching out in any way she can. She loves to put smiles on people's faces by solving problems in the possible way she can.

Follow us as we take you through practical steps on how you can deal with crushes as a Christian teenager. 

DEALING WITH CRUSH AS A CHRISTIAN TEENAGER

"There is this guy in my church. I always feel this excitement, nerve, and butterfly that assail me every time he walked in. 

There is this nervous feeling I get whenever he talks to me or I talk to him. 

Anytime he coordinates a church program, there is this feeling of excitement I have. Whenever he prays in tongues ehn, his tongues are fireeeeee. 

Chaiiii. God dey create o. This guy is handsome. When I say, handsome, I mean handsome. 

His smile is heartwarming. My heart races whenever I see him. He is just perfect. Well, I like him, and I think he feels the same for me. 

This chemistry is so perfect. Could he be the one? Is he the one...?" Lola was still talking, with a smile beaming on her face when Titi cut her short, telling her to calm down. 

One could tell she was in love with this guy in her church.

Yes, many of us have had this happen to us. And many of us let these romantic thoughts and feelings practically rule our lives.

Some of us are just experiencing it for the first time and don't know what to do with the craziness and emotions inside us. 

To be frank, some of us who have experienced this before still have no idea how to handle it.

No matter which category you fall into, I got you! 

Having a crush can be fun and exciting, and it can also be hard and scary as well because it can be difficult for you to decipher if it's true love or your emotions speaking. 

It's hard to control our emotions in a proper and God-honoring way.

Our culture has made embracing and living in the moment feel like the norms. 

Our culture tells us to let go and wear our hearts on our sleeves regardless of the consequence of our actions. 

It encourages us to fall in and out of love which can result in lifelong problems. 

For the Christian teenager, falling headfirst into what our culture says is not right. It completely disregards what God has to say.

Dear teens, God is concerned about everything that is going on in your life. When I say everything, I mean EVERY SINGLE THING, including your relationship and how you handle your emotions. 

He has given you all you need to live a godly life that pleases him.

You might want to ask, how are we supposed to handle the issue then? 

That's a good question. 

There are many ways to approach having a crush in a manner that pleases God.

I'm going to give you four tips for handling a crush.

ADMIT IT

First, when you have a crush on someone, admit it. Don't try to be over-spiritual. It is a desire. Something that, if not handled well, can lead to sin.

The Bible says we are in this world but not of this world. So, in this world, we deal with issues like this. It is almost impossible to separate yourself from them. 

However, God’s wisdom is made available to us to triumph over these things.

For instance, there will always be a really pretty girl around and a very fine-looking guy around. 

So the point isn’t that you have a funny feeling for the person. The point is how do you handle it? And you probably wouldn’t know how to deal with it, if you keep denying it.

PRAY

Prayer can't be overemphasized. Remember, I mentioned above that God is concerned about every single area of your life. Since he is concerned about every area, why not talk to him about your feelings and emotions. 

Pray for yourself. 

As humans, we make plans and organize things in our heads a lot. This has to do with ladies a lot. We tend to fantasize about things and situations a lot that, if we are, to be honest with ourselves will never happen. Or if they do, will not be according to how we planned in our heads.

I'm guilty of this. I am a planner and organizer. I love to have things mapped out in my head before they happen. 

I used to fantasize about how a conversation with my crush would go, usually with him telling me how much he liked me or something like that. 

So, to keep myself in check, I would pray about it. I would ask God to keep me calm and rational and he has been faithful. But, I must say, praying can be hard especially when it has to do with emotions. 

So, I would encourage you to pray still. Pray for yourself.

THINK LESS OF THE PERSON

Focus more on other things: God ultimately, service in the church, your career, family, or academics, anything but your crushee. 

When you are crushing on someone, you think about them way more than you imagine. So think less of them!

WALK IN THE SPIRIT

“…Walk ye in the spirit that you may not fulfill the desires of the flesh…” –Gal 5:16

You need to instruct your mind and body after your spirit. Don’t allow your emotions to lead you for one minute. 

Engage the Holy Spirit because he has the best advice, trust me. 

Those are my four tips on how to deal with that feeling of butterflies in your belly. 

Have you crushed on someone before? 

What was it like for you? Have you overcome? If yes, how did you overcome it?

What were the tips you used in overcoming it?

Let's know in the comment section. I'll be waiting to hear from you.

To connect with our guest blogger, below are her contact info.

Contact: 08139720873

Social Media handles

Instagram: ayobami_sanusi

Facebook: Ayobami Sanusi

Email: sanusiayobami63@gmail.com