You Can Know Someone for Years… and Still Not Know Them

My daughter and I were talking recently about how long someone needs to know a person before marrying them.
A year?
Two?
Five?
Ten?

I told her something I’ve learned over time:
A lifetime is not enough to fully know anyone.

Not because people are deceptive…
but because people are layered.

There are versions of us locked inside...
parts shaped by pressure, pain, opportunity, maturity, success, loss…
versions that might not even show up unless life demands it.

Truth is, even I don’t fully know me.
There are reactions I’ve never needed to give.
Tests I haven’t faced yet.
Strengths I won’t discover until life squeezes.
Weaknesses that won’t show until the season changes.
So how can we expect to fully know someone else?

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BUT THEN, if someone knew everything about your future…wouldn’t you ask them first?
Imagine you’re about to invest in a business…
and there’s a person who knows:
all the risks
every hidden cost
the future of the market
your capacity for that venture
and how every decision will play out

Wouldn’t you ask them?
Wouldn’t you want the whole picture before committing?

Actually…
there IS Someone like that.
Not fictional.
Not metaphorical.
Not imaginary.
God.

The One who sees the end from the beginning.
The One who knows you better than you know yourself.
The One who knows the chapters of the person you’re considering…
including the ones not yet written.
This is why the Bible says in Proverbs 3:6, “In all your ways acknowledge Him…”

Not some of your ways.
Not just career.
Not just major life decisions.
All...including your love life.

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Dating without God is like taking a test in a language you don’t understand.
Feelings are real, but they are not always accurate.
Chemistry is real, but it is not always clarity.
Time is helpful, but time alone does not reveal everything.
People can be genuine, and still…incomplete.
Only God sees beyond:
the presentation
the season
the version they are right now
the version they will become
the version you will become

He sees the unseen
and knows the unknown.
And when you’re making a covenant, a forever decision,
you don’t need every single information from the other person…
you need perfect direction from God.

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To every single person: Don’t navigate love with limited sight.
Bring God into it early, not when the emotions have already settled.
Before the butterflies.
Before the bonding.
Before “we’ve been talking for a while now.”

Ask Him:
“Does this align with Your will?”
“Is this person aligned with where You’re taking me?”
“What do You see that I cannot see?”
“Who is this person becoming…and can I walk that journey with them?”

Because prayer is not about asking God to bless your choice...
it’s asking Him to guide your choice.

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You may not fully know the person you marry…but God does.
And that is why acknowledging Him is not optional.
It is wisdom.
It is protection.
It is clarity.
It is mercy.
You don’t need to know everything.
Just walk with the One who does.

👣 Be Better. 💛 Love Better. 🙌🏾 Do Better. 💍Marriage Works.