Scene: You’re drooling over a really cute pair of shoes and decide they’re exactly what you want.

Problem: The store doesn’t have your size. So you squeeze into a half size smaller than your own shoe size. Uncomfortable, yes. But you really like the way they look.

Bigger problem: You purchase them and wear them to school, but by the end of the day your heels are sporting blisters, and your toes are threatening to fall off.

Solution: You finally take the shoes off and let your feet breathe again. Whew!

Lesson: There’s nothing you can do about your new shoes because they’ll never grow to be the size you need. Now you’re out a wad of cash, and you’re dealing with ugly blisters for the next week.

You’re Not Alone
We’ve all been there. We’ve either considered buying those cute shoes that the store doesn’t have in our size, or we’ve gone ahead and actually purchased them because they were just so cute. We know it’s just not worth it to get something that doesn’t fit. It brings discomfort and eventually pain.

You don’t want to settle for a shoe just because it’s cute. Get the shoe that’s perfect in size. Once you find the right style and size of shoe, you’ll probably even like it better than the other pair—because it feels good. It’s a perfect fit!

Guys are kind of like shoes. Don’t settle for a guy just because he’s cute, or you’ll eventually be disappointed. The relationship might look good at first, but after a while one of you will end up getting hurt. God created you as a unique individual. And guess what! He also created someone who fits you perfectly.

If you wait for the guy God has set aside for you, you’ll find that not only is he the perfect fit, but he’ll probably be much more attractive to you than others you could have dated that weren’t His choice.

How to Know if You’re Settling
Have you ever thought about making a list to describe the guy that you’re trusting God for? A list is a great tool and can save you from a ton of heartache if you let God help you create the list.

Unfortunately, I’ve seen girls who make a list with every intention of sticking with it and then change a few points here and there in order to have it describe a certain cute guy. If you find yourself doing this, you’re settling!

Once you begin cutting and pasting to make your list to fit the guy, you’ll find your list looking almost foreign to you. It’s no longer a list describing the guy whom God has set aside for you, and you end up selling yourself short. See, when you create a list with God’s help, you don’t fit the list to the guy—the guy fits the list or he doesn’t!

This is where Satan loves to toss a couple of lies at you:

You’re unworthy. He’ll try to make you think that you don’t deserve a guy like the one on your list.

You’re imagining things. He’ll also try to make you think that the guy described in your list doesn’t even exist.

Don’t believe the lies! You are worthy of nothing less than the best, and God is preparing someone to be the perfect guy for you. He does exist.

There IS Life Outside of Dating
Don’t let your world revolve around dating. Guys really don’t make the world go round, God does. So while you’re waiting for Him to send the right guy into your life, focus on these five things:

Who am I? Great question! Use this time to discover who you really are. What are you passionate about? Start growing in those things you enjoy, because they’ll be useful to you in the future.

Beef up your spiritual muscles. Read the Bible seriously. Begin memorizing Scriptures and relating them to your life. Talk to God on a regular basis. Growing spiritually stronger now will help you become the godly lady your future guy will need.

Become a good student. Spend time studying and keeping your grades on target, and you’ll be better prepared for what God has in store for your future.

Strengthen your friendships. Have you ever noticed that when you begin dating someone, you lose a lot of the closeness you had with some of your friends? Take this time to make fun memories with them!

Participate on a missions trip. If you’ve never been on an international missions trip, I highly recommend you go on at least one. You may find a new passion that you didn’t realize you had. It’s so much easier to spend time away when you aren’t constantly thinking about a particular guy all the time. I can assure you that your life will change from this one trip. If fact, consider going on the SUSIE missions trip to Panama this summer! Get all the information at www.neverthesamemissions.com. Something incredible happens when you invest your life in those less fortunate.

Really important: While you’re waiting for the guy on your list to make an entrance into your life, don’t compromise by dating other guys who don’t even come close. If you can learn to trust God to write your love story, you’ll never be sorry.

Some girls think they’re abnormal or not good enough because they don’t have a boyfriend. They’re buying into more of Satan’s lies. It’s totally OK for you not be dating. God’s timing is perfect. He’s never early … but He’s also never late! So go ahead, girlfriend, and make that list.

Misty Gatlin lives and writes in Keller, Texas.