Three years ago today I received permission from Jessi’s father to court her.* At the time, the providence of God was readily apparent to me in how our relationship was developing and it was the first time in my life that I felt I had truly surrendered my will and my desires to God. She was a far better match for me than I could have conjured up in my mind; I couldn’t believe how well we got along and how she fulfilled every single thing I had ever asked God for in a wife.
I nervously hoped that one day I would marry her, but I was willing to accept that God might will otherwise. Fortunately, he didn’t and we’ve been married for over a year (by far the best year of my life).

I love Jessi.

Us, at the beginning of our courtship.

* Yes, I quite literally did ask permission to “court” Jessi and I would not have courted/dated/pursued her if her parents had decided it wasn’t a good idea. This idea that a girl is truly under the authority and the discernment of her father is something that became very important to me, and I was not interested in pursuing a relationship outside of that authority structure. It saved us both a lot of trouble since we subjugated ourselves under the objective judgment of people who are older, wiser and more experienced than us in relationships. It’s a biblical, sound and practical way of going about potentially marriage-bound relationships and if anyone is interested in learning more, please read Her Hand in Marriage by Douglas Wilson. It worked FANTASTICALLY for us.