In Search of Love: By Carolyn L. C.

Most couples prefer dating over courting when starting a new relationship, because many don’t know the difference between the two. Courting stands on three pillars: commitment, accountability, and friendship. Dating stands on three pillars: romance, short-term goals, and less accountability. Courting almost always has good results if you are looking for a great marriage partner. But if you are only looking for a temporary satisfaction, then dating is right for you.

In most courting relationships, you find a great amount of commitment. It may be a challenge to ask a lady out on a date, but imagine asking for her parent’s permission. Men are usually pretty serious about a certain young lady to have the courage to ask her parents. Many couples don’t start courting until they have known each other for a long time and believe that the other person would be a great match in marriage. Courting is a huge commitment, because you are considering getting married to this person. Your commitment is not only to the man or woman you hope to marry, but it is also to their parents.

You also find a great amount of accountability in a courting relationship. When you decide to court someone, you are saying that you want as much counsel and accountability possible in the relationship-so you can wisely prepare for marriage. You are accountable to your parents, their parents, your pastor, your elders, their family members, and the married couples within the church. You are getting feedback and wise counsel from everyone. Also, you never go out on a date without accountability. You are always in a public well-lite place. You don’t do anything that might hurt the reputation of one another. Your reputation is everything when it comes to being in a courting relationship.

You need to have a strong friendship before going into a courting relationship. Having a strong friendship helps make the situation less uncomfortable as you spend so much time visiting family, friends, and church members together. Also, you may be given advice that might discourage you, so you need to have a strong friendship to fall back on. When you are confronted with family situations or problems, it helps to have each other to lean on. Your level of friendship will determine your level of communication.

Dating is a term very often associated with romance. Many people date based off the personality, appearance, or attitude of a total stranger or acquaintance. Dating is often what people do to get to know someone on a deeper level and to see how they react in different situations of life. Dating is commonly known as a romantic evening walking around a park, going to a movie, having a delightful restaurant dinner, or dancing. Many people go on dates to see what someone is like. If they enjoy the first date, then they continue spending more time together.

Dating is not often associated with marriage, but is more of an experimental outing to see if you have a deeper chemistry with another person. Dating is usually done with lots of different people before finding a marriage partner. Dating can ultimately lead to a deeper relationship status, but commonly it leads to heartbreak. Dating is like testing the waters of relationships, rather then having one serious relationship with someone you know you want to marry. Dating is an expensive and a less reliable way to find a long-term soul mate.

While in a dating relationship there is less accountability. Few people want to watch people get intimate in their conversations and actions, so there is less of chance of chaperones sticking around during this process. Dating is a choice to go to a much more intimate level with someone, whether or not you plan to marry them. Dating is usually between just the couple themselves. Dating someone dos not require marriage counseling or great amounts of advice from family and friends. Dating is just an opportunity to be loved and accepted, to have temporary satisfaction, and to hopefully find someone that you want to marry.

Dating and courtship are vastly different from one another. Most choose to date, but in my personal experience I have found courtship to be a much better way to look for a husband. Some of the advantages of dating are more intimacy, more freedom to get to know each other at a deeper level without accountability, and more gifts and romantic evenings. But courtship creates a stronger bond emotionally and mentally. Courtship is a stronger foundation for determining a future marriage.

A Window to Heaven: By Carolyn L. C.

As I look out my window, I dream of heavens' irresistible beauty. I see a garden of white lilies in full bloom. I gaze at angels in bright gowns glowing as the sun, and wings as white as a dove and larger than the wings of eagles. The angels dance around the garden filled with pink irises, white lilies, dark purple roses, yellow tulips, and lavender freesias. They rejoice with beautiful songs that flow from their lips to the Lord’s holy temple, where He sits relaxed and at peace on His throne rejoicing over His children. Within the hands of the angels were thousands of trumpets, flutes, harps, pianos, drums, guitars, and harmonicas. The instruments were so delightful that my mind pondered the pure beauty of heavenly music.

The Lord stood and looked straight at me, I fell to my knees and worshipped. He came to me and held out His hand and said, “Daughter, walk with me and delight in my company.” I reached my hand into His and then walked with Him to a place where the largest crystal clear waterfalls flowed. There stood the tallest mountains I had ever seen, and they blazed with the colors of purple, blue, green, red, brown, and orange. The greenest valleys stretched out beyond my sight. I saw more animals then I had ever seen in one place. There were deer, coyotes, wolves, bears, horses, lambs, dogs, cats, pigs, chickens, and so many others. The animals were tame and obedient to every word spoken to them. The animals were all friends. The ducks were friends with dogs, the lions were friends with the lambs, and the bears were friends with the tigers.  

How greatly my heart beat for more of the treasures of heaven to fall upon the earth. My eyes glowed with anticipation of the enduring promise of eternal life with the Most High reigning justly and righteously before all His people.                                                             

Walking in the presence of the Lord is the most refreshing feeling in the world. It is like that feeling you got the first time you rode a bicycle, or stepped barefoot into the ocean while the sand molded around your feet, or rode a horse and watched it gallop up hills. It is like taking a journey into the unknown. Your heart beats rapidly, excitement levels rise, and you are consumed by His love, compassion, joy, peace, and comfort. No words accurately describe the feeling you get when you are in the presence of the Almighty God. You are encompassed by His mercy, you are overwhelmed by His love, you are struck by your imperfections, and your eyes are opened to how truly great, powerful, and majestic God is.

Being back in my room again, I gazed up to the heavens. I could see the clouds part and Jesus riding on a white stallion in all His glory and majesty. I promised myself-I would always savor this moment and carry this dream in my heart forever more. My eyes began to blur with tears of joy. Every beautiful creature and every angel began to vanish in front of me. I cried out, “Consider and hear me, O Lord my God; Enlighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of spiritual death;” The Lord said, “My child, open your eyes!”

As I opened my eyes, the clouds parted, and the stairway to heaven became clear. “Oh, the beauty of heaven is great and majestic,” I cried aloud. The golden stairway covered with angels of God’s glory. Thousands upon thousands of graceful angels are rejoicing in song, Spirit, and truth. The angels’ light shined like the sun. They gleamed in intermittent light. They danced and worshiped the King with all their hearts. My eyes glowed with the light from above. My face shown brightly as gold dust fell from the heavens. “Praise God, for He has answered my prayer! He has allowed the treasures of heaven to fall upon the earth. How joyously will I praise His name and delight in His statues. The heavens rejoice over me, but the earth calls out my name.