I've always believed that relationships should be built to last. When my friends were dating for fun in high school, I was waiting for someone I could see myself with six months down the road...and unfortunately, that didn't leave me with a lot of options. I dated sparingly, choosing only the people I thought I could see myself marrying someday. During my sophomore and junior years of college, I got closer to discerning my ideal match by learning to narrow down what I really wanted in a partner as opposed to what I thought I wanted. Now that I've found someone I can see myself with for the foreseeable future, I have realized that my current relationship is centered around different goals than my past relationships. Here are the relationship goals I've learned to aspire to.

1. Pray together. Christian and I always pray before meals (if I'm being honest, he usually reminds me to do so). However, we also pray for each other. Sometimes one of us will have a bad day or will be worried about something and the other will text a prayer. Sometimes we discuss our prayer requests and pray in private. Sometimes we pray face to face. It may sound cliche, but I believe that couples who pray together stay together.

2. Make God the center of your relationship. It is so easy for Christian and I to make our relationship about each other, but by bringing God into it and choosing to put Him first we are strengthening our bond with each other and with Him. Yes, we struggle with this at times, but at the end of the day we wouldn't change a thing.

3. Talk about how God is working in your lives. Having meaningful conversations about where we're at spiritually and what God has been revealing to us lets us know how to be in prayer for each other and how to help one another. Additionally, it reminds us to praise God for the good things He has done for us.

4. Be human around each other. There are parts of ourselves --ugly, unpleasant parts -- that we try to keep hidden from our partners. Whether these things are emotional, physical, mental, or spiritual, they can cause unnecessary tension in a relationship if they are left unresolved. If you are in a healthy, committed relationship, you should feel comfortable opening up about everything. Your partner knows that you aren't perfect. Why pretend to be? You two can be perfectly imperfect together

5. Get out of your comfort zone.* I think it's so easy for people to get into a comfortable routine and avoid trying new things. For example, I am only comfortable driving small cars, and my boyfriend knows this. He's always told me I am allowed to drive his Nitro (I made the short list) but I never wanted to because it's bigger than I am comfortable with. However, he encouraged me to just drive it around an empty parking lot Wednesday night to get a feel for how it drives, and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I actually liked it.

* I'm not suggesting that you pressure your partner into doing something he or she doesn't want to do, but gentle encouragement and support goes a long way. Just remember that if your partner is adamant about not doing something, that's okay. Some things take time, and some things may never happen. What matters is being supportive and making your partner feel safe and loved.