only as a brother in Christ

Trina Holden

I was not initially attracted to the first man who came to court me. Yet, after truly seeking God’s heart for the situation, I felt He was calling me to love this man. So I said ‘yes’ to a ‘season of exploration’ — to a courtship. As the months passed, my choice to love selflessly bore fruit and I began to find great joy in our relationship. Then, suddenly, the Lord made it just as clear that He was calling me out of the relationship, to relinquish my desire for marital love, and to only love this man as a brother in Christ.

Read Courtship: Dispelling the Myths

"Real-life love stories display the endless creativity of the Author of life. While some are similar, no two love stories are alike, and sometimes they begin with the strangest coincidences, the slimmest chances, the most insurmountable odds. Two strangers seated together on a plane. Attending the wrong funeral. Car breakdowns. Wrong numbers. Or sometimes the opposite is true, and next-door neighbors suddenly see each other in a different light, or the annoying tag-along kid grows up. I’m always fascinated by human drama, and that’s a key ingredient in love stories."

-Jeannie Pederson on Club31Women

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