The purpose of sharing the courtship story of my friends Allison and Eli, is to hopefully pass on some of the blessings that I have received from it.

It was a beautiful day for the wedding. The autumn leaves were bright and a chilly breeze was in the air. The rolling hills behind the gazebo where the service was to be held were breathtaking. The bride came riding up in a horse drawn car- riage and, with her dad at her side, began her walk down the aisle. Her gown was pure white, her veil fell down over her face, and in her hands were a bouquet of red roses. She was beautiful. The groom waited at the end and he watched proudly as his bride came down the aisle towards him.

Allison was a young lady who had decided to stay at home instead of going out and perusing a career. She spent her time blogging, baking, and being her parent’s daughter. One of her deepest desires was to become a wife and mother. On the other side was Eli. He spent his time working as a security guard for the state capital, learning about the government, and doing evangelism. Their personalities were so different and I often wondered how either one of them would ever find somebody to marry. Both of their families attended the same home church. Neither of them really considered the other to be “marriage material” for each other.

I’m not sure when Eli was first prompted by God that Allison might be “the one”, but it took us all by surprise when he announced that he had begun to court her. Things moved quickly from there and it wasn’t long before they were engaged to be married and the wedding plans were underway. But what is truly unique about the relationship, is the time between the beginning of it and the wedding.

Instead of taking the traditional dating route, they decided that they were going to court. That way they would both be accountable to their parents and others around them, instead of just each other. There are so many blessings that came from this approach! Both of them had decided to save themselves for marriage and because of that, neither one of them brought emotional and physical baggage into the relationship. They will also be able to share the story of how they got together, proudly, without having the shame that so many other couples have.

Before I knew Allison and Eli, I had never given much thought to marriage. I had no clue about how you got to know your prospective spouse. Perhaps you went out on dinner dates? Or maybe you went to the movies together? At first, I honestly had a tinge of resentment towards “the courtship thing”, when I heard about it, because I did not feel that parents needed to interfere with relationships. Since then my opinion has greatly changed, and I have come to see that courtship is a good thing; a thing that is honoring to God. And while courtship is certainly not a fool proof entrance into marriage, it truly helps to lay a solid foundation for a strong marriage. “Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.” Mark 10:9