Dating vs. Courting- What's the difference?

People always ask me what my plans are for dating. Each time I tell them: "I don't plan to date, I plan to court." They then proceed to tell me that there's basically no difference. So I went to the dictionary.

Dating: (verb) "going out with someone in whom one is romantically interested"

Courting: (verb) "being involved with romantically, typically with the intention of marrying"

There still doesn't appear to be much difference, except for the last few words of the definition.

Let's look at the definition for courting again:

Courting: "being involved with romantically, typically with the intention of marrying"

There's the big difference right there. Dating is actually VERY different than courting. If you think back to the stories that your parents tell you, they might tell you about all the different guys or girls that they "dated", but how often do they tell you about the multiple people that they "courted"? Dating is temporary, but courting usually ends up in marriage.

Isn't that the way that it was meant to be? Proverbs 4:23 says: "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life."

Do you really want to go second hand shopping? Or do you want God to GIVE you brand new?

I'm going to court, not date. Next time someone asks you, take some time to think. Could courting be right for me?

-Glen