Piper And Courtship

Every year, my high school students watch Johnny Lingo, a short film about a small island and its marriage custom. Since that ritual involves a bride being purchased with cows, there is a great deal of opposition to the custom. For our most recent test in Gospels, the course I teach for juniors, I had the kids discuss what they believe to be a more proper and hopefully Godly approach to finding a mate. Piper did an especially nice job and gave me permission to share her answer. She shows a great deal of wisdom for someone so young!

A young man and woman coming together has become and developed in a way that is so vastly intricate and complicated. I say this because there are so many expectations and traditions observed in the marriage process that it becomes hard to keep up. Whether the man proposes or if the marriage is legally arranged, a marriage will still and unfalteringly be a public, holy, and permanent relationship. I believe that all the questions regarding marriage have been answered through God, but over time, assumptions and implications have been made that ultimately make the process entirely more difficult. I believe that there is no perfect way to be married or to go about the process of courtship as God did not require a specific way. However I can describe the way I believe will most perfectly fit couples in today’s society. I believe that a couple should have an exclusive, public relationship for at least a year prior to becoming engaged. I do not believe that any shorter time period will suffice for understanding and developing love for your partner before marriage. Once this couple reaches an age of twenty years or older, they will be eligible to begin their courtship. This is due to the sole fact that any age beneath twenty years is not mature or mentally stable enough to take part in courtship. The process of courtship begins with the man asking the family’s permission to marry their daughter. This step is extremely crucial because the families must approve of this process regardless of the couple’s opposition. The next step is the engagement portion (my favorite part). The step does not have to be grand or extravagant, but it does need to be a special moment for the couple. I do not believe that the price or worth of the ring is valuable, but the ring being on the woman’s left finger is important. This is because the ring signifies and displays the woman’s outright commitment to her partner. This openness is vital in today’s society due to the poor intentions of individuals. Unfortunately, this requires involvement on social media. Without specific, direct display of your marriage on social media, your marriage will not be taken seriously and might become sabotaged.

Applicable quote of the day: The loss of courtship in modern days - like, people don't court anybody anymore. There's no beauty about it.
Sofia Vassilieva
God bless, Steve Luke 18:1