Fundamentally, God is love. And because we are made in His image, we have the capacity to love deeply and genuinely. However, our understanding of love is shaped by many influences — the Bible, our families, our parents’ marriage, relationships around us, and even social media. All these factors affect how we perceive love and what we believe a relationship should look like. Because of this, we cannot date everyone we come across. Discernment is important. We must learn to recognize red flags, because a wrong marriage can negatively affect your service to God, your love for Him, and even your love for people. A red flag is a character trait or pattern that signals you should not get involved with someone. These are not issues to be “managed” or tolerated. Red flags are non-negotiable dealbreakers.