Marriage is an exciting thing, and for sure many singles longing to marry can't wait for it.

When singles think about marriage, many thoughts come to mind: who's it going to be, how big the future family will be, and so on and so forth. One thing that's very crucial to answer, however, is this:

"When is the best time to marry?"

Many single men and women tend to ponder about the time they get married. Some tend to ask a married friend about the right time, the right person, but can't seem to find the right answer. This article hopes to help singles know exactly when the right time is.

How to know the right time for marriage

There are a few things that will help all single men and women know the right time for them to marry. Here they are:

1) A knowledge of God's purposes and direction for you

Before God created marriage, He gave Adam a job: to tend the garden of Eden (see Genesis 2:15). This gives us the idea that before any man or woman marries, he or she should at least know God's purposes for them.

We cannot make marriage as the only pursuit that we have for the rest of our lives. Many singles make marriage a goal to achieve; thus when they marry, they have no other purpose but to enjoy it.

While God wants married people to prioritize their marriages, He should still be over and above any marriage. His purposes must prevail.

2) A readiness to sacrifice yourself for the rest of your life

Marriage requires self-denial. If we take a look at how God created marriage, we'd understand what this means. Genesis 2:21 tells us,

"And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place."

In order for marriage to happen, something had to be taken away from man. If we think about it, this can apply to us today: we have to be willing to sacrifice ourselves if we are to be ready for marriage.

Marriage demands that we take care of our spouses and not just ourselves. In fact, we are to priorities their needs, even before our own.

3) A willingness to love and serve that person first, before all others

Lastly, single men and women should realize that when they marry, it means saying "goodbye" to others. Marriage is between a husband, his wife, and God. No other people should be allowed to enter in.

This means that single men and women will have to adjust to serving each other primarily, and learn to forego other people in favor of the marriage relationship. It will also mean setting boundaries that will protect the marriage, such as distancing themselves away from friends of the opposite sex.

Submit to God

Even if we think we already know the right time, however, we must know that God's plans will always prevail. Proverbs 19:21 tells us,

"There are many plans in a man's heart, nevertheless the Lord's counsel - that will stand."

As such, we must not feel bad when our plans don't go the way we want them. Single men and women should enjoy being single until it's time to marry.