The Yellow Rose

Once upon a time, my father gave me a rose. It was beautiful - just a single yellow rose. (Yellow was my favorite color too.) It sat in its vase on our counter and I thought how perfect and pretty my rose was. The sunlight streamed through the window and the rose seemed to light up. The next day I saw my rose again. But today it was different. It had opened up. What was once an average-sized rose was now a full, fabulous flower! It had opened up to nearly double in size. It was amazing. If my rose had been beautiful before, it was gorgeous now. The change was so remarkable it was almost breathtaking.
Reflecting on that rose and it's transformation, I can see an important lesson. I am that rose. I may be pretty today, as a small flower. But given time and nourishment, I will grow into a beautiful, open flower. But the rose did not sit there complaining that it wasn't big enough - it shared the beauty it had. I never know; tomorrow may be the day that I bloom, that I open up and become a gorgeous flower. But until then, I can learn from the rose - I can wait patiently for that day and share the beauty I have right now. Because ultimately, I want to point people to the Creator of the rose.

My Daily War

I'm going to be completely honest. Sometimes I get really tired of waiting. Sometimes I just want what I want and I want it when I want it. But whoa there, that's pretty selfish. And sometimes I just feel like saying, "Yes! It is selfish! Can't I just be selfish for a minute?!"
But of course that answer is no. Of course I know I shouldn't be selfish. But I can't escape the fact that sometimes it is hard.
So what should I do? God warned me of this. In His word He told me that there would be times when my flesh and my spirit would wage war with one another. Because really the truth is that my spirit desires to do God's will more than anything. I desire so much to please God. No matter what. But my flesh desires to have it's own way. To get what it wants now. So I struggle. I struggle daily because it's not easy to deny myself. It's not easy to say, "Not my will, but Yours be done, Lord." It's definitely not easy to deny myself. But I know that it is necessary. Because I know that my flesh will some day pass away. But my spirit is eternal. The decisions I make now do not just effect me now - they have eternal effects. And I must remember this. So I decide, right now, every day, to die to self. I decide to submit myself to God's will. I decide to trust Him. No matter what. No matter where that takes me. No matter if He ever gives me what I want or not. No matter if other people understand. I decide to follow Him. No if's, and's, or but's. And I know HE will provide me the strength I need. I can't do it on my own. I won't ever do it on my own. But with my focus on HIM and through His grace I will make it. And I know that every step is extremely worth it.

Out of Thin Air

This is the first blog post I ever wrote. :) Hope you enjoy it.
God’s timing is perfect. Sometimes we might not think so, but it always is. It can be hard to wait- whether it is for a husband, a child, or anything else. We don’t like to be patient. We think we need it now, or at least in our own time frame. But the truth is, the world operates on God’s time frame. Which, by the way, is much better than anything we could come up with. Again and again he has demonstrated his perfect timing.

I was about 14 or 15 years old. I had very few friends, was rejected by kids at church because of my beliefs, and felt very alone. Then one day, almost out of thin air, God sent me a friend. She lived in a totally different state, but we became close friends through email. He actually provided me with 2 close friends- at the very time I needed it most. His perfect timing.

Sometimes I wonder where God is going to find a husband for me. Will he just pull one out of thin air? He could. He provided friends for me seemingly out of thin air. Why not a husband? This is the God who made the world in 6 days- out of thin air. He saved me through his grace and mercy. He planned out the salvation of the world. Do I really think he can’t plan out my very small life? I must trust him. Trust that his will, his plan, and his timing are perfect. Because they are.

And once I truly trust him, he will make things happen in his time. Even if he has to pull someone out of thin air.

~Brooke

Interview with Brooke

This is a repost from Becoming Abigail, written by my dear friend Tahirarh. She asked some very hard questions, but I had a lot of fun!!

The Long Awaited Interview with Miss Brooke is here!!! Brooke is truly an exceptional young woman. Her love for God is palpable and she is an inspiration to me and my family. Enjoy!

1. How have you enjoyed homeschooling?

I have immensely enjoyed homeschooling; I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. :)

2. Would you homeschool your children if you have any?

Absolutely! I plan on homeschooling any and all future children that I have.

3. What are the common negative comments you get about homeschooling?

I believe the most common comments that I have heard, either personally or from other homeschooling families, are: homeschoolers are not socialized, homeschoolers wouldn’t get an opportunity to play sports, and that homeschoolers are sheltered.

4. What are your responses to these comments?

First, most of the homeschoolers I know are very well socialized. They are especially good at communicating and socializing with people who are not their age. Many public school kids make lots of friends their own age, but many homeschooler befriend people outside of their own age range. For myself, I know many of my friends have been two or more years younger than me, and as much as 18 years older than me.

In regards to sports, homeschoolers have just as much opportunity to play as public schoolers. I have been involved in martial arts since I was 12 and am currently a black belt, my brother does tumbling and trampolining; I know homeschoolers who played soccer, basketball, baseball, wrestling, football, swimming, etc. I even know a homeschooler who was the Iowa Gymnastic State Champion.

As a matter of fact, homeschoolers are sheltered. But they are sheltered from the negative influences of the world. So it is not a sheltering that anyone should fear. :)

5. Why did you decide to be a stay-at-home-daughter?

I started reading some blogs about SAHDs. Everything I read made a lot of sense, and was backed up by scriptures. As I was already planning on living at home for some time after graduation, it wasn’t too big of a stretch to a SAHD. Most of the things I read really made sense, both physically and spiritually, and I felt convicted to be a stay at home daughter. For me, I believe it is the right thing to do.

6. How do you plan to fill your days as a SAHD?

Well, I am currently attending an online school, so I plan to graduate from that. I plan to work from home part-time as a medical transcriptionist; I plan to teach piano lessons; I plan to write, because I dream of being a writer, and possibly publish some of my work; and I plan to work on homemaking skills to prepare for having my own family someday.

7. Why have you chosen courtship as a way to get to know a suitor?

With 50% of all marriages in this country, yes even Christian ones, ending in divorce, something must be done. I believe courtship is that something. I believe the traditional dating relationships are not working. Courtship is a way to get to know a suitor without becoming too invested emotionally; it enables you to continue to guard your heart, something that is harder to do in a dating relationship.

8. Why have you chosen to save your first kiss for marriage?

I have chosen to save my first kiss for marriage, and that is a personal commitment. Not all may feel led to do this, but I feel that I have. Someday when I get married, I want to be able to present myself to my husband and say, “Here I am. I’ve never given myself to another, not even in the smallest way. I have saved myself for you.” How special will it be to have my first kiss, first time to hold hands, etc., with the man that I marry?

9. How does the word of God inform your decision to save your first kiss for marriage?

God’s word speaks many times about purity. Purity is important to God. Marriages are also important to God. His word tells us to treat young men as brothers in the Lord. I believe that by saving my first kiss until my wedding day, it is a way that I can take purity seriously, help my marriage to start off well, and treat other young men I may meet in a pure way.

10. Have you endured persecution for your choices?

Wow. I think I could write an entire blog post on this question alone. I’ll try not to though. ;) Yes, I have endured persecution for my choices. As early as 14 years old, I was struggling with this persecution. My best friend abandoned me, two other girls ignored and excluded me. Outings were planned and I was deliberately not invited. All because I was homeschooled, and so I was “different.” Several years later, one of the same girls came back into my life. I thought perhaps things would be different, but I was again eventually pushed away. A young woman that I respected deleted our Facebook friendship, left argumentative comments on this blog, and in other ways hurt me, simply because I had chosen to state what I believed in about purity, courtship, etc. Our relationship was basically ruined, and I never said a negative word to her. And friends, these examples were all within the church! Because of these things, I have struggled with acceptance and rejection.

Sadly, I have even see this translate over to the blogging world. I have to continually be sure that I write what I believe and feel, even if some people might not agree. That is part of what inspired me to write “I Don’t Fit in a Box.” I wanted people to know who I really am, and not look at me as something I’m not. That’s another goal I have with my new blog, True Love’s Kiss. My goal is to write as truly and honestly as I possibly can. To be “real” with my readers. Rejection will probably come, but hopefully some people will see my honesty and accept me for that.

11. What gives you hope to live faithfully through this life?

My hope is in Christ, and the eternal salvation that He has promised. I wait on Him.

12. If you could give other young women or girls advice on how to wait on God, what advice would that be?

Pray. Just pray, a lot. I’m telling this to myself as well. It can be very hard to wait, but in the end it will be worth it. God has a Master Plan. We just need to trust him with that. If we are willing to wait for God’s best, I know in the end we will all feel completely overwhelmed that he works everything out so perfectly. Find other like-minded young women who are also waiting. Wait together, encourage each other. Find an older woman who has “been there, done that” to encourage you. Read scriptures about waiting. Read books written by other young women about waiting. Above all, realize this, your life is not about getting married, having children, or whatever else you are waiting for. Your life is about serving God, in whatever way he calls you to do that.

Real Love This Valentine's Day

If you are like me, as a single woman who wishes to be married someday, Valentine's Day can feel somewhat lonely. This Valentine's Day I have a challenge for you. Anytime you begin feeling lonely, STOP and PRAY. Pray for your future husband-that he would stay pure, and God will continue to be with him and help him grow. Pray for yourself-that God would grant you patience to wait for His will and timing. In fact, do this everyday! Not just on Valentine's Day. :)

This Valentine's Day, let's take the opportunity to remind others of God's love. The world will be celebrating their idea of love. But earthly love can be superficial and disappointing. Let's take the time to point people to the never-ending, unfailing love of a God who loved us so much that he sent His son to die in our stead. His is a love which will never disappoint us!

~Brooke