My Romantic Courtship | Anna Grace: My Romantic Courtship

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

My Romantic Courtship

I want to tell you all a beautiful story. 
A story that has been miraculously unfolding before my very eyes. 
It is the story of my heart, each line tenderly fashioned by God's divine pen. 

In April of 2011, I met a man named Scott Willis.
My family fell in love with him; my parents asked to adopt him, the Little's smothered him.
 He spent a week in our home, a week filled with sweet fellowship.
He was instantly part of our family, as if he always had been.
 And when he left, it felt as if our family was left incomplete.

While he was deployed overseas, he wrote letters and emails to my parents and to me.
As we corresponded, I truly began to cherish his friendship.
His brotherly encouragement I found to be invaluable.
His honorable character and his love for God were evident in every letter and email.
I was filled with admiration and respect for this great man of God.

It was not long before my female heart was swooning.
 Never before had I met a man so godly, honorable, and charming; and my heart was easily inclined to fall for him.
By God's grace alone, I was very aware of this tendency, and on my guard against it.
I knew I needed to keep a careful vigil over my heart.
This man was my beloved brother, my dear friend,
I would not make him out to be more than that in my heart.

I began to pray earnestly for God's grace as I sought to consider him only my brother.
I wanted to interact with him as if he were my brother in every way.
I prayed for his future wife, asking God to bless her and fashion her to complete him.
It was hard and painful to do something so completely against the whim of my heart,
but God called me to do it.
There were times when I failed to keep my heart in check,
and returning it to a safe resting place in Jesus was an even harder task.
I did none of this on my own strength, God carried me and supplied grace.

In December Scott returned to the US, and came to visit our family once again.
I was struck more than ever by his vision, his heart, and his immense charm.
There was no missing the strong vibe between us as we spent time together.
I had fallen for him completely.
By the end of his visit I was convinced that I could follow this man to the ends of the earth,
but still, he was my brother alone,
and guarding my heart against the dreams that wanted to spill forth was more difficult than ever.

As Jane Austen so truthfully wrote:
"A lady's imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony, in a moment." 
- from Pride and Prejudice

I had been so sure that something was happening in both of our hearts, but as the days and weeks passed our friendship and our correspondence remained the same, much to my woe.

In early February I could feel God pulling on the strings of my heart.
 I was very convicted that I needed to be truly content to be Scott's sister in Christ, and nothing more.
I didn't want to give up my hopes and dreams where Scott was concerned, but God didn't let me go,
He brought me to a place where I was willing to submit to His plan for my life, and I was finally able to surrender my attachment to Scott completely to Him.
I cannot express to you how painful this was for me,
Scott was exactly the kind of man I had dreamed of and prayed for my entire life,
he fulfilled every list of qualifications I had ever written, indeed he rose above all of them.
My fists had been clenched shut in rebellion against God's call on my heart,
and it was agony to open them in surrender.
But what freedom and joy there is after the pain!
I could finally sincerely love Scott as my brother, I could write to him joyfully and honestly as his sister.

Only a few weeks later on March 9th I received a letter from Scott.
A beautiful letter, expressing how God's hand had been moving in his heart,
confessing his love for me, and asking to court me.

I lack words to describe what took place in my heart over the next few days.
Complete astonishment and utter joy swept over me; I wept and smiled in turns.
Do you see that God had something better in store for me then I had?
Once my hands were open in surrender He filled them to overflowing with His good blessings.
The story that He wrote for Scott and I is so glorious, the story that I had imagined and I had held onto so tightly cannot compare.

Courtship Story

Our courtship has been absolute joy and bliss as we watch God write this story.
I stand in awe of His work, the absolute beauty of the way He brought Scott and I together leaves me speechless. He has filled us both with love for Him and for one another. 
He has poured out His blessings upon us.

Courtship Story

 On May 12th Scott Willis asked me to marry him.
And I said yes.
We are joyfully looking forward to
November 24th 2012
when we will covenant together before our friends and family in marriage.
I still can't believe it.
There are many moments when I am absolutely overcome with joy and amazement,
God is so good. It makes me giddy. :)

Courtship Story


God writes beautiful love stories, I am so blessed to share ours with you.
If you would like to hear more of how God has been working in our courtship feel free to email me,
I would love to share more.


Courtship Story


May God pour out His rich and bountiful blessings on you today!


17 comments:

  1. Beautiful story that God is still writing, Anna!

    Congratulations!

    Deanna

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  2. Congratulations!! Your love story is beautiful! I'm the young woman that talked to you a couple/few years ago at the CH conference and said I read your blog. :) I was surprised to see this, and it's wonderful! May you both have a smooth engagement and wedding planning, and have a God-honoring life together! Your courtship story points to God's handiwork, and I'm sure your marriage will as well! Congratulations again, Anna and Scott!

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  3. Oh my! Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!! Such a lovely story! :')

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  4. Oh wow! BEAUTIFUL story! Any story where you can see the hand of GOD is gorgeous. :D Congratualtions to to you both! Best wishes and prayers!!! :D

    Angel

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  5. We are rejoicing with you, Anna! What a joy to see God's hand from the beginning. You have been blessed with a man worthy of the respect that God will require of you as a wife. And Scott has found an absolute treasure in you. We are praying for a strong heritage as the Lord blesses you with a family, that His purposes might be fulfilled through your union. In choosing you, Scott is giving his future children the gift of an excellent mother! How we look forward to watching your story unfold. =)

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  6. How very wonderful!! Blessings and Love to you both - can't wait to hear more!

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  7. Anna, it was delightful to talk with you at the CH conference and to be able to share your joy! May the Lord continue to write His beautiful story upon your marriage and family. We're praying for His protection upon Scott and the joyful anticipation of your wedding day!

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  8. OH, how precious! We have not met, but I have prayed for you so many times! God has truly brought a treasure to Scott through you! Thank you for sharing such a beautiful, God-written story. Your articulation of emotions and events is so breath-taking and refreshing! Thank you! I pray daily for Scott's safety and will be praying for you as these days and months may feel like decades and lifetimes while waiting for his return. Savor every moment with your family. Cherish every minute of wedding planning, laughter with your sisters, quiet moments with your mom and/or dad. Oh how I wish I could be with you all on that blessed November day! I don't suppose we could Skype the wedding? (ha) Through God's grace, mercy, and guidance, my love grows for you and family.
    Aunt Katrina (Scott's aunt, Gina's sister)

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  9. Congratulations! Throughout your story, I could relate to all your struggles--I fought a similar battle guarding my heart against premature romantic ideas in my friendship with a man who was like a brother to me. On February 25th, 2012, God blessed my waiting, and I'm now being courted and pursued by the best man I have ever known. Isn't it incredible what the Lord does when we surrender to Him?!

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    Replies
    1. hello....congrats...i'm currently battling what you had went through. how long did it take before God blessed you?

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  10. Wow...that's a beautiful story!! Congratulations! (:

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  11. Thank you for sharing your beautiful story. We are so happy for both of you and will continue to keep you in our prayers. May God bless you both with His wonderful presence.

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  12. what a nice story ....

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  13. I was looking for an email address for you. I was hoping to ask you something. If you are open to it, will you email me at amazinggrazefarm@gmail.com. Thanks. :)

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  14. I "stumbled" upon your blog while looking for a suitable picture to post on my next blog post. Your blog title caught my eye, and for the next hour I stayed at your blog reading your amazing posts. You are still young, but your spiritual maturity is evident. I have visited your mom's blog as well, and left a comment on her most recent entry.

    Congratulations on your forthcoming wedding.

    When we let God write the story of our lives, giving Him permission to develop the plot according to His wisdom and plan, the chapters will surely unfold beautifully, and the ending promises to be a happy one.

    Your blog title caught my eye because my youngest daughter's name is Anna Grace. She is a lovely young Christian woman of 27 working in a global bank in the huge metropolis of Metro Manila (Philippines), far away from the home where she was brought up. Manila is one hour away by plane from where I live, but I make it a point to visit her every month. I call her "Obedient One."

    Blessings,
    Lidia

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  15. Hello Anna,
    I stumbled on your blog while searching cultivating prudence and I saw this on your homepage. Very beautiful. God comes up with beautiful things when we give our lives to him. May He bind your hearts together in His divine love and make His dwelling place in your hearts, home and house. Congrats!

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  16. Wow, I must say miracles happen everyday. When we give up something we really want, our Father knows our hearts desires and will provide all of our wants, needs and desires if we rest in him... Congratulations and you have a story that is a true blessing!

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