Bible Reading: Hebrews 13: 1-4
Give honor to marriage, and remain faithful to one another in marriage. Hebrews 13:4
JEREMY CRIED as he watched Julie’s dad steer the heavy rental truck down the street. The one perfect woman for Jeremy had just moved out of his life. Life as he knew it was over. He would never love again.
Tough break for a second-grader.
Does God have just one person picked out for you to marry-or does he have a gallery of possibilities for you to choose from?
You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out what general type of person you would like to spend the rest of your life with. So go ahead and eliminate from your list of possibilities everyone who doesn’t fit in that group. Then ask yourself, “Does God want me to marry the right person or a right person?” Some folks say God wants you to marry the right person, meaning he has one-and only one-person picked out for you to marry. Others think the world contains many people God would consider a suitable mate for you. God, they say, wants you to marry a right person.
Let’s cut through the controversy and confusion with a practical solution: Of all the possible people to marry, pick the best one for you! Then you have the best of both options. If God only has one picked out, you can be sure you have landed with him or her. On the other hand, if there are several right ones out there, then you just got the best one possible. And as you wonder if you have found the right person for you, keep these vital pointers in mind:
Evaluate how well and for how long you’ve known each other. Real love is based on a thorough knowledge and understanding of the other person.
Determine if that person loves you with “love, period” love. Read 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 and see if it describes how your prospective marriage partner loves you. Stay objective by asking a friend if he or she agrees.
Take the steps to discern God’s will you would take for any other big decision, making the most of the guidance God gives through Scripture, prayer, wise advice including advice from your parents, who want the best for you-and the open and closed doors of circumstances.
One final thought: Be more concerned with being the right person than finding the right person. Becoming the kind of person someone else will consider the best possible choice is the only way to be prepared for finding your best choice.
REFLECT: How are you getting ready to find the right mate?
PRAY: Even if you don’t want to think about marriage yet, it’s not too early to pray about it. Talk to God today about being and finding the right person.
