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. With shoulders heaving, he sobbed as Julie and her mom followed in the family van. 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.

You might never have thought about your own marriage. But it probably crosses the minds of your dad and mom once in a while. Maybe they’re already praying that God will lead you to the right husband or wife someday. Scary!

You still might think the opposite sex has icky germs. Or you might be looking out the corner of your eye and kind of liking the boy or girl who sits kitty-corner from you at school. You never know when the magic moment will strike when you suddenly realize that guys—or gals—are God’s greatest invention ever.

Wherever you’re at, there’s one key principle that works all along the way: Never date someone who wouldn’t make a fantastic mate.

So what does “fantastic” look like? It might not be the gorgeous girl who wins the Teen Miss contest. Or the muscled guy who leads his high school football squad to a state championship. Here are two tips for picking top choices:

Tip 1: God wants you to pick someone you love. Don’t bother chasing a person just because that’s who everyone else likes. Find someone who fits you. Then limit your choice to people with whom you can share the love described in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. When you spot someone you think you like, put your potential relationship to that test. Yep, it’s a tough test. Go ahead and cross off your list everyone who doesn’t pass!

Tip 2: God wants you to pick someone who follows him like you do. Second Corinthians 6:14 (NCV) says, “You are not the same as those who do not believe. So do not join yourselves to them. Good and bad do not belong together. Light and darkness cannot share together.” The right date—and mate—will never be someone who doesn’t follow Jesus enthusiastically. So don’t aim your heart at non-Christians!

You can act on that principle right now by making up your mind today to always seek God’s best choice for you. He has a great plan. Don’t ever settle for second best—not in whom you like, not in whom you date, not in whom you marry.

TALK: How is your heart? Is it set on seeking God’s best—both now and later?

PRAY: It’s not too early to pray about marriage. Ask God today to lead you to the right person—but not for a whole bunch of years!

ACT: Will you make one commitment today—to talk openly with your parents about guys or girls you think you could love? Your family can help you start learning how to make God’s best choice.