Valentine's Day in the Preacher's House

I always thought that I was romantic. My wife says I am. I even got the nickname "Romeo" from a church member.
But having two attractive young daughters has taught me that I have a lot to learn about romance. According to them, there are three different levels in a boy-girl relationship:
1. "Talking." If you're "talking," it means you're interested in each other, but you're not committed to being boyfriend and girlfriend. You're free to talk to others. A lot of this "talking" is actually "typing," because they often do it with instant messaging on the computer.
2. "Going out." This means a commitment to being boyfriend and girlfriend. My generation called this "going steady," but today's teens call it "going out." The only problem is, if they don't have a driver's license, they aren't really going anywhere. Personally, I think they should call this "talking a lot more," or "typing a lot more," because that's what they're really doing.
3. "Dating." This is for older youth who have driver's licenses. If you're older, you can go straight from "talking" to "dating." Also, to further complicate things, you can be "dating" but not yet committed to "going out." So in this scenario, you actually ARE going out, yet you are not officially "going out."
To my daughter's list of three levels, I would add a fourth level. If God leads you to Mr. Right, then at the proper time, you should move to a fourth level in a relationship:
4. "Married." This is what happens when you decide to go out permanently. My oldest daughter advances to this level this coming June. Other Dads are giving me advice on preparing for the wedding, like "just pay for it and keep your mouth shut."
I'm reminded of a conversation I once overheard in a flower shop just before Valentine's Day. Some young men were in the shop, talking about their constantly changing girlfriends. An older man spoke up and said, "What you guys need to do is stop buying at the news stand and get a subscription." I looked at him and smiled. I knew what he meant, because I've had a subscription for 25 years.
The Bible says, "Rejoice in the wife of your youth" (Proverbs 5:18) and "He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord" (Proverbs 18:22). That's why I'm happy for my oldest daughter. And I pray that after they are married, they don't forget to keep dating, and going out, and talking. I know that if they do, their subscription will never run out.