In public high school, you see a substantial amount of couples talking in the hall before class, holding hands, and going to prom together. You see those sappy posts about how much they love each other, and how they can't live apart from each other. You'll ask yourself some point along the way, "Will I be single forever?" You have your perfect wedding already planned on Pinterest right? Along with all your engagement photo ideas, the wedding cake, and bridesmaid dresses? Well, that's what my board looks like.

To the girls waiting for Mr. Right: I know the feeling of facing rejection after rejection. I know the feeling loneliness gives you when it creeps into your heart. You thought you had the one, but then he's gone. Or, you know he's not the right one but you're lonely, so you talk to him anyway. Girl, know that there's not shame in waiting. The right guy is worth waiting for. The man who God has created for you is already praying for you, and already preparing his heart to meet yours.

Pinterest is a relationship killer. Those pictures posted have reality hidden behind them, but not in them. I've been lucky enough to have several women from my church talk to me about how to prepare myself for my future relationship, and each one of them has said, "Marriage isn't all butterflies. It is hard, but it is worth it."

If God grants you the gift of marriage, know that the right person is worth waiting for. Don't date a guy if he doesn't know the Lord. By this, I mean he is walking in an active and growing relationship, not just "knowing of Him." Don't let him just be okay with your religion. Let him be a part of it. Wait for the man who will remind you who you are in Christ, who will carry your burdens with you, listen intently to you, cherish you in all the ways he can, and who will push you to achieve your dreams. If a guy can't commit to picking up his Bible everyday and following Jesus, he can't possibly commit to you. He can't possibly know how to treat you like a daughter of Christ, because he's never encountered that kind of love yet. It's time to stop dating the "good" and "nice" guys. Don't just date to date. Date with the intention to marry.

He can treat you like a princess, but his intentions won't last long without Jesus.

Let him be chasing after Jesus before he chases after you. Let his heart be bound in the love of Christ before it's bound in any human love. Let his relationship with God be more important than your relationship with him. You don't need marriage to be close to Jesus or start your life. God has designed marriage as a covenant, and I truly believe it is a good thing, but it's not necessarily the most important thing.

Girl, singleness is not a curse, it's a season. It's a season of growing, pruning, preparing, and faithfully committing. God isn't punishing you. It might take months, weeks, or years for the "right one" to cross your path, but if he challenges himself to be better because he recognizes that you deserve better, he's worth waiting for. If he honors you and humbly gives himself to Christ with you, he's worth waiting for, because you will eventually do the same. You will give your time and your love to make him happy, but before that season, trust in this one. Honor Jesus and submit yourself to Him, seeing all He has to give you in this season of singleness. I truly do believe the things you learn in this season will prepare you to have a better marriage. A perfect one? No, far from it. There is no such thing as a perfect relationship or marriage, but it will be a marriage of unity and likeness. It will be just how God desires and has designed it to be.

Yes, I realize I'm just a high school student. What do I know about love? Well, all I know is what God has taught me in my season of singleness.

The period of waiting and the dream of a family I have in my mind, and heart, now, will be a reality if I don't settle for "good." I have to only settle for God's best, because I'm worthy. He's designing a man just for me. Every characteristic will be what I need in a life partner, and God is doing that for you too.

I encourage you to start praying for your future husband. Pray for his family, his current struggles, his friends, and his mentors. Pray that as he prepares his heart to meet you one day, you will be ready also. Then, pray for your future children. Pray that they will have a father who loves them with all his heart, and desires to be in their life. Even pray for your future dog together. He hears it all, and He won't forget it.

Don't rush His timing. Trust it.The result is so much better. Don't give up on the game of love, because a marriage designed by God is a marriage worth waiting for.