How serious (a.k.a. foolish) can you be??

I was recently talking to a good friend of mine and we got to talking about relationships. After discussing what relationships should look like and how they should advance, she said to me, "Well, I think you're old enough to date, but not to think about marriage." That is truly a contradiction. Dating in today's culture is defined as various relationships in which you get involved and eventually break up. It is to provide momentary pleasure and you know deep in your heart that it won't last but you hold on for the reason that you want to feel love. This is the dumbest thing I ever heard of...how can someone enter into a relationship with a level head knowing that it won't be anything serious enough to consider marriage, but serious enough so that you give away your heart entirely to this person. How is that logical? If you are truly mature enough (who of us are?) you will enter into a relationship fully prepared to end it in "till death do us part." How can one be old enough to date, but not to think about marriage? Marriage is to go hand in hand with dating (or whatever you want to call it, I prefer courting). Do yourself a favor and don't enter into any relationship (whether you think it's serious or not) without even considering marriage. God doesn't wish us to get hurt, but often it's the best way to learn from our foolish mistakes and grow up. I watch as so many of my young (and older) teenage friends "hook up" cuz they're "in love". A month later, two if they're special, they'll break up and come crying to me telling how they were so "compatible and in love". Now they both hurt because of the one foolish mistake to not look ahead but rather to focus solely upon the selfish desires of the heart. What our culture needs is a whole new mindset about how to deal with our relationships which can only happen after our focus turns from ourselves to God alone. His glory is what must be sought after through our relationships and this will create relationships like none other. People will look at us and earnestly seek after what we have. To God be the glory!