Carrie on Dating

Carrie Judd Montgomery was actively involved in ministry from the time she was a teenager till the day of her death. She truly modeled a life according to Matthew 6:33, continually seeking first the kingdom of God. Carrie’s mother brought her up to put her trust in the Lord rather than to go around chasing after men. Carrie said that “My dear mother had so often told her girls (when we had seen ‘managing mothers’ trying to secure husbands for their daughters) that if the Lord had an Isaac for us He would bring him to us in His own way and time without any planning of our own.”

Most likely impacted by her mother’s values along the lines of singleness, before Carrie met George Montgomery who would later become her husband, she said that “I had never given much thought to the subject of marriage in those busy days in Buffalo, except to ask the Lord not to let me be troubled with the attention of anyone who was not the Lord’s choice for me. I also prayed a little prayer something like this: ‘O Lord, if Thou didst create anyone on purpose for me let him find me, but if not, I do not want anyone.’”

It was in the midst of speaking at a conference on divine healing that Carrie, 31 years old at the time, was introduced to her soon to be husband. It turned out that he was previously healed from a serious illness and was passionate about helping others receive healing just as Carrie was.

The paths of these two healed ones aligned and merged into one on May 14th, 1890. Their wedding ceremony was done by none other than A.B. Simpson, an influential leader in the Diving Healing Movement and close friend of Carrie's. She remained faithful to her husband her whole life and they together served the Lord their entire lives.

Perspectives are so important and I appreciate and am encouraged by Carrie keeping her perspective on what was seen rather than unseen. I would like to further share with you my thoughts on living in the tension in  the season before marriage that can be a gift from God balanced with the importance of taking action in regards to dating. See my articles entitled "The Gift of Singleness" followed by "Action Dating: The Gift of the Season of Dating Revisited". To encourage those who have just experienced a break up, this is for you. Thanks for listening.

-Taken from Carrie Judd Montgomery, Under His Wings: The Story of My Life, 1936