Marriage doesn’t solve loneliness. Marriage doesn’t make you more mature. Your relationship with your significant other is not further along now just because you are married. Marriage is not something to be taken lightly, but it is a process you need to prepare for and make sure you are ready in the right timing.

In this day of age, many people our age are looking for a quick fix. There are people out there looking for someone to marry that will satisfy their every need. They are looking for that one person to make them feel happy, fulfill their acceptance need, and to be desired by. Many people act upon the "infatuated love phase," as some call it, and rush the stages of getting to know the person they are in love with. I believe that taking your time getting to know someone’s past, present, and future, as well as working through every area of life with that person, is actually much more rewarding when you choose to walk down the aisle.

Getting married isn’t the end goal. In fact, getting married is just the beginning, and many young couples rush the process of relationships because they are believing a lie that getting married will simply change and/or fix their relationship. Getting married might sound mature and would be the cool thing to do these days, but just because you get married more quickly than most of your friends certainly doesn’t make you more mature. Knowing your identity in Christ makes you more mature. If you are trusting God’s timing and holding onto the promises He has for your life, other people will see that, and they will look up to the ones who take it one day at a time in confidence. Don’t trust the ones who are constantly pushing to get married in an unhealthy way. Marriage is not a quick fix, and it never will be.

Maturity comes from taking it slow and trusting the process and the will of God. Trusting the process means getting to know someone you are wanting to spend the rest of your life with, trusting them, and getting to know every detail of their life. It means saying yes, figuring out what your person likes, as well as getting to know every flaw that they may struggle with. If you choose to accept them for who they were created to be and are still able to see the gold in that person no matter what, you are heading in the right direction--which would be toward marriage.

The process of relationships is beautiful. What a journey it is to go from crushing on your significant other, to texting each other, going on your first date, to getting pursued and becoming official. Once you start dating that takes you to a whole new level. It is a completely different journey getting to know someone on a deeper level, working through the insecurities and disagreements that come up, becoming stronger friends, and spending quality time together. This process should not be rushed, and it is crucial for a healthy, lasting, and long-term commitment. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to walk down the aisle to marry someone I’ve never worked through things with. I want to walk down the aisle with confidence knowing that my partner and I have fought for our relationship, through the good times and bad. I want to know that I have seen my partner at his very worst, and yet, I still choose to love him. I want to know 100 percent that my partner is never going to leave my side, and I certainly couldn’t say that I was 100 percent sure if I had simply rushed into marriage.