Paul, last episode you answered a question about being married to an unbeliever, and today's

question is how someone finds himself eventually in that situation. Natalie asks, I'm a woman of God,

but dating someone who is hesitant towards God, the church, and believing in heaven and hell.

I definitely think he sees my heart

and how joyful I am and hopefully sees the reason my heart is this way because of God. I pray every

day for God to open up his heart and to receive him. My boyfriend came to church with me this past

weekend. He usually doesn't want to come with me, but he knows it's important to me, so he did come.

I don't know if my boyfriend is someone I will marry. I hope it works out, but having a relationship with God for my future

partner is important to me. So Paul, what counsel would you give to a believer dating a non-believer,

and then more generally just dating advice for believers? What should somebody be looking for in a future spouse?

Whenever I answer these questions, I'm reminded that I can never give specific

counsel to anyone that I don't know. If I were in an office with an individual, I would ask a ton of questions that would help me give specific

and wise counsel.

So my answers have to be general.

I'm going to start with this.

My son was in a relationship that was fraught with problems.

And as parents, we were very concerned about where this relationship would go and if they got

married, what it would mean for their lives.

And when this troublesome relationship finally ended, I asked my son what he had learned.

And I will never forget what he said.

It was striking enough and wise enough that I have repeated it over and over again like I'm going to today.

He said, this is so smart.

...