The Amish Voice 10
1.
Why are you attracted to Rachel?
2.
Describe for me what you think dating is
about.
3.
How would you describe a good
husband/leader in the home?
4.
Tell me about the day you recognized
your need for a Savior and called out to
God for salvation.
5.
How is your walk with the Lord (past
and present)?
6.
What areas of serving the Lord have you
been involved in?
7.
What are three things written in the
Bible that you feel very strongly about?
8.
Whom do you look up to? Who has been
your mentor?
9.
What is your relationship like with your
family?
10.
Where do you want to be one year from
now? Five years? Ten years?
Our meeting ended on a positive note,
and Rachel and David began to date. Over
the next year and a half, David and Rachel
read through seven love, dating, and
marriage books. During that time, it became
more and more obvious that David’s face
belonged to the faceless drawing in the
picture frame. And then it happened. The
moment Esther and I were waiting for. David
let us know that he would like to meet and
talk with us. We knew exactly what it was
about; he was going to ask if he could marry
Rachel.
Once again, I was just a step ahead of the
game. I had prepared several pages of
personal thoughts and questions I had written
down for the moment when David would ask
for our daughter’s hand in marriage.
Note, I would like to make a strong point
to every person reading this testimony: I
believe with all my heart that when we make
a big deal of love, dating, and marriage, so
will our sons and daughters. If we don’t, they
won’t either. The Bible says in Proverbs
22:6, “
Train up a child in the way he should
go: and when he is old, he will not depart
from it.”
Those who have children who turned out
well know how much time it took. It takes
much prayer and spending time together as a
family, but in the end it is well worth the
effort. You see, you are not only raising one
generation, but you are also impacting
generations to come. If you do it right, your
children will do it right. And if your children
will do it right, so will their children. Yes, it
is well worth the extra effort.
We barely sat down before David eagerly
and hesitantly popped the question, “Can I
marry your daughter?” I responded, “David,
your question does not come as a surprise.
Esther and I have something we would like
to read with you before we say yes.” At that
point, I handed each person a copy of the
things I had written out for this moment.
It reads:
David, as we have explained before, our
family has prayed thousands of times over
many years that God would send Rachel a
godly man; one who would protect her as
well as lead her in the Lord’s way. We do not
want to sound controlling, nor do we want to
hang onto Rachel for the rest of her life. The
Bible clearly states in Matthew:
And he [Jesus] answered and said unto
them, Have ye not read, that He [God] which
made them at the beginning made them male
and female, And said, For this cause shall a
man leave father and mother, and shall
cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be
one flesh? – Matthew 19:4-5
Since the beginning of time, God meant
for children to leave their parents and cleave
only to their spouse. As parents, we are
grateful and feel very blessed that God
allowed us to pour our hearts and lives into
Rachel. Our goal from the beginning was to
prepare her for the man that God would
someday send her way. We may not always
have measured up, but one thing is sure: we
gave it our very best.
In our home we have a prayer couch.
Year after year, we sat down on the couch
with Rachel every morning and asked God to
protect her, fill her with His Spirit, give her
wisdom, and lead her in the right direction. It
was also during those prayer times that we
asked God to provide a born-again, godly
husband for her; one who was raised in a
home where God and family were first and
most important.
Twenty-two years ago, when Rachel was
just a baby, we brought her before the church
and made a commitment to God and His
people that we would do our very best to
raise her in the nurture and admonition of the
Lord. When she turned ten, we sat down with
her and read through a series of four books
that
explained
how the
Lord had
made her
body
in
fear and
wonder.
It was also during those times that we
shared what she should expect as she grew
older—she would marry, enjoy God’s gift of
sex, and have her own children. Later, at the
age of 16, we invited eight godly men and
Love, Dating, Continued From Back Cover
Love, Dating, Continued On Page 11
See these books advertised on the foldout
page—this issue of the Amish Voice
without doubt have consequences, whether
we do or don’t identify it correctly. If we
identify it wrongly, it is like getting a wrong
diagnosis from your doctor. We take medica-
tion, but it doesn’t do any good.
Lord, give me the wisdom to properly see
pride in my own life and then deal with it so
that I may experience your tremendous
grace. Amen.
Humble yourselves therefore
under the mighty hand of God, that He may
exalt you in due time.
1
Peter 5:6 — End
Pride/Consequences, Continued From Page 9
