8 Signs You Might Not be Ready for a Relationship (And Thats Okay)

Wanting the dream of a white picket fence, 2.5 children, and a fairy tale ending with Prince Charming isn’t the worst dream a girl could have. The desire many of us carry to one day be married, even from a young age, is okay. 

But what happens when that desire becomes so deep that we lose sight of who we are and what we are ready to begin? When the desire becomes so all-consuming that we cannot see our lack of readiness?

The data from a number of studies on divorce – although varying slightly from study to study – still proves a high likeliness of divorce in today’s marriages in western culture. According to Philip Cohen’s Analysis of American Community Survey Data, a study conducted in 2016 of the U.S. Divorce & Marriage Rates by Year, nearly 50% of today’s marriages will end in divorce or separation. Researchers estimate that nearly 41% of all first marriages will end in divorce. However, millennials are causing the U.S. divorce rates to plummet, as their desire to co-habitate has far outweighed their desire for marriage, at least before the age of 40.

Over the last decade, my primary ministry has been among single mothers across the U.S. Many have endured the pain of a divorce or the devastation of a co-habitating relationship that failed. The hours I have spent holding the hands of weeping, heart-broken women are hours I wish never had to exist. What does this mean for you? It means your readiness to move into a relationship matters. It means that God wants what is best for you and that it is important for you to evaluate where you stand in critical areas before you move into something too quickly.

The following 8 categories may reveal that you are not ready for a relationship and the truth is, that is okay.