The Story Behind this Video
First off, let me tell you how this all came together. The bits and pieces can be found in these entries as I wrote them in my principles before entering into a relationship, how courtship should be, dealing with heartbreak, letting go, closing doors, struggling with rebound, preparing myself to be the best man, trying again and finally letting God write my love story.
I will let you in a sneak peak of my journey through my courtship and heartbreak and love. Outlined are the entries I’ve written along the way. It contains bits and pieces of my heart during the time. It paints the context and sets the stage behind this proposal video. I hope and pray that you gain wisdom and inspiration to let God write your love story too as you read the lessons, standards and principles I’ve been through to arrive at such a beautiful, God-given love story.
My 6 personal principles before entering into a relationship:
Principle number 1: When you’re not yet married, you have no claim over the other person. Don’t expect that he/she will reciprocate your feelings – that is selfish. Asking the other person what he/she feels about you, knowing that you won’t marry or don’t have plans to marry that person any time soon, is just plain unnecessary.
Blog Entry: What do women need? Unpreparedness makes the right thing wrong.
Published on November 6, 2009
Principle number 2: Emotion within love is good but love within emotion is dangerous. When the “love” you claim to have is all emotion, it is not love at all but feelings that serves your sensuality. Yes it feels good and at some point it might “feel right” but when you look at it, it is self-serving, incomplete and dangerous.
Blog Entry: Why you can’t tell me that you “Fell” in love and you can’t control it.
Published on Nov 8, 2009
Principle number 3: You’ll only stay single for about a fourth of your life. Learn to appreciate it. Maximize it to develop yourself in Christ. Learn how to really love – to want what’s best for the other person, not just to want to feel loved because it’s pleasurable. All the things you need to know in a relationship can be developed best while you are single. It is a gift from God – even Adam and Eve were single for some time.
Blog Entry: What we miss out on relationships and marriage.
Published on Nov 16, 2009
Principle number 4: Sex comes after marriage inside love. Physical intimacy is not love, in fact, it can be done in the absence of love but that is sin. Love is about wanting the best for the other person in terms of God’s word, it’s never about getting sex or closing up physical proximity.
Blog Entry: 3 BIG misconceptions about love. How do you know if you really love someone?
Published on Dec 8, 2009
Principle number 5: Women can never validate your manhood. Only God can do that. A woman’s “yes” is one of the hardest thing (supposedly) to fight for. And we, as men, have made that our challenge and our adventure. We’re not really after the woman, often times we’re after our heart – our heart which was lost when we were young and raised in a broken family, lacking acceptance, lacking affirmation, lacking masculinity, lacking our manhood.
Blog Entry: 2 Wrong reasons why men pursue women today.
Published on Dec 9, 2009
Principle number 6: Liking someone, going through love, finding a partner and finally getting married – those things are easy. The hard part is having a great marriage and sticking to your commitment with God in your marriage vows. So don’t rush going into marriage. Develop yourself first to be the best you can be in keeping your vows to God no matter what.
Blog Entry: 5 Reasons why you shouldn’t worry about being single.
Published on Dec 15, 2009
Principle number 7: If your focus is right, and your heart is in pursuit of God, then He will be the one to let things fall into place with you and your future partner in life. You just have to know Him first and be able to trust Him completely that He knows what is best for you, who is best for you and what time is going to be best for you in all aspects of your life.
Blog Entry: Five Things I tell singles who asks “Am I ready for a relationship?”
Published on: Jul 11, 2010
My Standard for a Future Spouse
Standard number 1: You all know that I have high standards in looking for a woman to spend the rest of my life with. My standards have shocked people and they keep on asking why. One of my standards is “She must never have had a past relationship.” I wanted to explain why I usually don’t include girls who’ve had past relationships in the list.
Blog Entry: What I think about girls who have had past relationships.
Published on Dec 29, 2009
Standard number 2: Even if you have not met ‘the one’, it doesn’t mean you cannot love him/her now. In fact, you can love him/her by consecrating yourself and keeping yourself pure and set apart for that person – so that when the time comes and God puts you together, you can tell that person “I know I loved you before I met you. Because I’ve kept myself for you.”
Blog Entry: I know I loved you before I met you.
Published on Feb 28, 2010
Standard number 3: They say people who have had experience in past relationships are better in handling their next one. I agree. But I believe you don’t have to have a past relationship for you to be the best in handling one.
Blog entry: Experience is the better teacher – handling relationships.
Published on Mar 2, 2010
My Principles through Experience in Courtship
Principle number 1: Oftentimes we get into a whirlpool of emotions and affections for the person we love that we forget about what love really is. The world today defines love as an emotion – completely an emotion. Which is just plain wrong. Emotions are a part of love not vice versa. When you love someone, emotion and affection is necessary and is present but it does not dictate love.
Blog Entry: 5 things to keep in mind on how to love a person of the opposite sex.
Published on Jan 16, 2010
Principle number 2: There will always be times when we ask the other person what our status is. Are we on the same page? Are we scoring more points than the other competitors? But that’s not the point! Don’t look at your status with the other person because in the end, it won’t really matter! Look at your status with God.
Blog Entry: How to overcome insecurity when courting or being courted.
Published on Jan 20, 2010
Principle number 3: Just like getting too near a picture makes your vision blurry, you have to step back to see the beauty of it again. Step back in your relationship. Step back in your focus and love for your man/woman and ask God to take control again. Find Him again because you’ve lost sight of Him. Loosen your relationship to make room for God. It’s all about glorifying Him through your relationship – and if He’s out of the picture, how will that happen? God wants in, and unless He’s in, the picture will never turn into a masterpiece.
Blog Entry: Why loving someone too much can be dangerous.
Published on Feb 23, 2010
Lessons I’ve Learned After I got Busted
Lesson number 1: It takes faith and emotional wisdom to deny your emotions when you have awakened love and it has rejected you. That’s why people transfer from relationship to relationship after they have tasted and experienced what emotional love is like.
Blog Entry: Why you easily fall in love after a breakup.
Published on Jul 25, 2010
Lesson number 2: “We are first brothers and sisters in Christ then we are men and women looking for companionship”
Blog Entry: 3 Steps to move on from a relationship.
Published on Sep 5, 2010
Lesson number 3: I believe that even if doors are closed on us in relationships, God can open it up in His time and in His ways. We are merely stewards of the ‘duplicate’ keys that He’s lent us. In the end, God holds all the keys.
Blog Entry: Closed doors and relationships.
Published on May 15, 2010
Lesson number 4: When you say that you ‘surrender’ it means you don’t hold on to anything – nada, zip, zero. It is completely letting go, leaving none for yourself. None. Not even a thought of it. Even though Isaac didn’t die and even if he was not sacrificed – he was already as good as dead to Abraham. He was already completely surrendered to God. He was given up. Abraham did not think about it anymore.
Blog Entry: When you Surrender a Relationship…
Published on Dec 2, 2010
Lesson number 5: Pray and ask God if it’s time to make a move – and if he says ‘yes’ then move! Don’t wait. Don’t let time pass and ask for more clues. God will let you know. Looking back, He was the one who connected all the dots for me. I’m not saying we’re going to have the same love story coz we’re not.
Blog Entry: How do you know if you’re the Best guy in Pursuing your Girl.
Published on Oct 18, 2011
Our Engagement Ceremony Story
Excerpt: Apple and I got engaged last February 9. Just to explain, in Chinese tradition, there is something we call ‘Ting-hun’ which is how we celebrate a betrothal between a man and woman. It is a grand ceremony involving a reception, jewelries, exchanging of food, goods, and other respects between families. This is my story behind all that God has done leading up to our engagement ceremony.
Blog Entry: Sean & Apple – Our Story and Engagement.
Published on: Mar 17, 2013
I am amazed at how far God has taken me to be where I am today. Apple and I are getting married next year. Pray for us – for God’s leading and blessing. And most of all, we hope and pray that our love story will glorify God and inspire a multitude – of youths, singles, dreamers, and even couples.
God can write an awesome love story if you would let Him. Surrender to His will. Obey His Word. Seek His heart. It’s possible! It can come true! Don’t let the lies of the devil tell you otherwise.
Proposal Video by: Hello & Co. Cinema