Pledging of the Troth

So, I feel terrible because I don't remember who wrote this, but I know that it was from this blog by the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. I find the genders fascinating, so I've added this blog to my lists. BTW, I am not yet convinced that women's "God-ordained role" is "in the home" and that if you have children and still work it makes you one of the "women who abandon their children on the altar of their career or before the idol of self." (Kay Arthur) But she's not the author of the post I'm sharing! I found this amazing segment saved in my email drafts:

This pledging of troth comes to characterize the whole marriage relationship. "Mutual dependence and trust allow husband and wife to be genuine and real with each other. Each can be accepted and loved for what he is. A wife need not compete with other women for her husband's love and affection: she has it. Her husband has sworn a bond of lifelong troth to her to which God is the witness. Neither does the husband have to compete with other men for his wife's continued affection. Both of them settled that matter when they married. That is the very meaning of marriage: both partners count on the other's fidelity."

It's a call to us men

• that we should take the risk of getting egg on our faces;
• that we should pray like we've never prayed for help in this tremendous responsibility;
• that we should be in the word more than we ever have been to know what God expects of us;
• that we should plan things more than we do, and be intentional and thoughtful and less carried along by the mood of the moment;
• that we should be disciplined and ordered in our lives;
• that we should be tender-hearted and sensitive;
• that we should take the initiative to make sure that there is a time and a place to talk to her about what needs to be talked about - this "her" could be a friend, a date, a colleague, a wife, a sister;
• that we should be ready to lay down our lives in discharging this responsibility to be the leaders God is calling us to be.

Katie here again. I really like the part about not competing and, of course, the part about men planning things and being intentional and thoughtful. But who doesn't? Also, I don't think I've ever heard/read anyone say that men should take the initiative in purposeful conversation, particularly with nonromantic figures. What an excellent way to honor these females! I don't think the author talked about women's roles. (I'm an equal opportunity poster.) Happy Friday.

Today's Encouragement

I said in my haste, "I am cut off from before Your eyes"; nevertheless You heard the voice of my supplications when I cried out to You.

I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing; I have come into deep waters where the floods overflow me. * Waters flowed over my head; I said, "I am cut off!" I called on Your name, O Lord, from the lowest pit. You have heard my voice: "Do not hide Your ear from my sighing, from my cry for help." You drew near on the day I called on You, and said, "Do not fear!" * Will the Lord cast off forever? And will He be favorable no more? Has His mercy ceased forever? Has His promise failed forevermore? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has He in anger shut up His tender mercies? And I said, "This is my anguish; but I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High." I will remember the works of the Lord; surely I will remember Your wonders of old. * I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. * He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him.

Ps. 31:22; Ps. 69:2; Lam. 3:54-57; Ps. 77:7-11; Ps. 27:13; Ps. 91:5

I caught the boomerang!

All right friends. The time has come for a moment of epicness. It just so happens that on Wednesday, October 13, my friend Aimee and I went to the ... wait for it ... 50% off sale at Goodwill in Fillmore at which I scored my best haul yet.

Ahem.

I purchased:

2 jackets for me (including one beautiful black and white coat from Express!)
1 shirt for me
1 shirt for Beth
1 shirt to sell to Buffalo Exchange
1 sweater for me
1 comfy wrap dress for me
1 pair of dress pants for me for a hypothetical job
1 jacket/shirt for me for a hypothetical job
1 jacket for Emily
2 sweaters for Emily
1 pair of shorts (brand-new from Target) for me
1 belt for me
1 skirt for me
1 sweater for Beth
1 package of unopened tissue paper
3 new Beanie Babies for Operation Christmas Child

= 16 articles of clothing and 1 package of tissue paper and 3 Beanie Babies

Guess how much?

a.) 31.95
b.) 37.25
c.) 42.45
d.) 49.05

I just have to say that the day before this tremendous score, I was wandering around Express in Valencia because I had a coupon and Jeremy had a birthday and Express was having a sale (such a happy merging of circumstances). I was looking at all their beautiful jackets that cost $100-$200 and thinking I would never buy one unless I found one at a thrift store--and the odds of that were higher than me actually catching a boomerang that someone threw at me from across the street. Lo and behold, the very next day, one appeared in my size for $3.00! It was only missing one button, which was soon remedied. God surely spoils us sometimes. Ah, so did you guess the grand total? It's answer "b." Hum and I did the math; each article of clothing cost an average of just over $2.00. It was a good day!

Mercy and random thoughts

This evening, a few minutes ago, I knew the feeling I wanted to describe in this post but was unsure of how to articulate it. Moreover, I was concerned that this blog has been too much of a downer of late, although I am trying to give God the glory in the midst of (to put it poetically) storms and wilderness. So I began scrolling through past entries to review my recent sharing. Exactly to the second as I begin reading the lyrics from "Beautiful Lord," Jeremy began strumming his guitar in the next room and singing, "When the storm is raging all around me, You are the peace that calms my troubled sea." And so on and so forth. So, of course, I start crying because God is quite good and the moment is an example of the second verse: "When my weakness is all I can give, Your gentle Spirit gives me strength again." This is how I feel most days. I do my thing: tutor, data entry, take the SAT, clean my room, talk to friends, think too much, make birthday cards, finish buying Christmas presents, put together shoeboxes for OCC, write letters, read about humanitarian crises, play Boggle, etc. (Working only part-time and still don't get around to watching many movies.)And I do my thing despite varying degrees of weariness and brokenness. It's quite a beautiful thing, actually. I don't enjoy it, but it's quite extraordinary (literally). Pop always says some of the most profound prayers are "Help, Lord!" I concur.

Here are some of my random thoughts from today:

Will the New Earth look like the Old One? If so, pre- or post-Pangea?
From the viewpoint of babies, tear-free shampoo has to be one of the best inventions. (I mean, they don't really care about disposable diapers or bottles or cute outfits.)
The passage-based reading sections of the SAT are the meanest.
How does the Oreo company mold the cookies?
Why does cats' hair stop growing at such a short length relative to humans' head hair?

"You know what we're supposed to say and what we're not supposed to say."

I am reading a book about how our love languages were created by God and how we connect to God through our love languages. This little girl is obviously words of affirmation. Her parents must pray often. As a words of affirmation lover myself, I find I often connect to God by repeating His truths back to Him.

A Tale of Two Kitties

God loves us!

"I don't have time to maintain these regrets when I think about the way He loves."

Beautiful Lord

When the storm is raging all around me
You are the peace that calms
My troubled sea
And when the cares of this world
Darken my day
You are the light that shines
And shows me the way

Oh, the beauty of Your majesty
On the cross You showed Your love for me!

Beautiful Lord
Awesome and mighty
I'm captured by this love I see
Beautiful Lord
Tender and holy
Your mercy brings me to my knees
It's Your mercy that has made me free
Beautiful Lord

When my sin is all that I can see
Your grace remains the shelter that I seek
And when my weakness is all I can give
Your gentle Spirit gives me strength again
And oh, the beauty of Your majesty
On the cross You showed Your love for me

And I am lifted by Your love to sing!
It's Your mercy that has made me free!

You're beautiful, my Lord
You're beautiful, my Lord

I am thankful for...

Autumn
My Sudoku book from DollarTree
Getting mail today
Forgiveness
Many uplifting texts from friends
Our church service at the convalescent home
My health
Getting paid on Friday
Living in an age of instant communication
Washers and dryers
Psalms 42

On being vulnerable

Since high school, God has continued to teach me about humility, and it has been transforming. I remember reading Philippians 2 a few years ago and being astounded that Jesus humbled Himself. The beauty of humility is that it is a focus on the supremacy of God rather than the depravity of man. The focus MUST be on God.

Over the past two years, I began experiencing being vulnerable. This is not something I have heard taught much either by my parents or church leaders. It has been strange to navigate, and I tried to figure it out as I went along. I've been taught to sacrificially love people but also take care of myself. Vulnerability is surrendering my self-interests in a way that leaves me exposed to danger. Honestly, I have not tried to define this until tonight. I've thought much about agape love, about putting other people first regardless of the cost to self. I'm not sure what makes vulnerability different. Perhaps it is love with more to lose?

In any case, tonight I was thinking of how vulnerability stemming from humility is beautifully strong. Surrendering my "rights" and my desires and leaving myself open to risk requires an identity grounded in God's sovereign love. It requires trust that God will take care of me and a commitment to emulating God's character rather than protecting myself. After all, God became man knowing that He would be rejected, scorned, and put to death. Yet, He offers perfect love to all.

For me, vulnerability is still hard. I haven't had too many opportunities to practice it. (Please keep in mind that I am not recommending a complete abandonment of caution or self-care. Use wisdom!) Yet, there is also joy and peace in choosing it. I know that God has chosen me. He is my everlasting Father. He will take care of me. When people hurt me, He remains. When I make mistakes and hurt myself and others, He remains. He is worth these earthly troubles, and choosing His character is certainly worth the risk of hurt.

One last thought, being vulnerable is also tied into choosing to live without fear. I think it was April or May that I realized how much fear was controlling me. This frightened me in a good way back to goodness and mercy. The Bible says (somewhere it is written, 1 John 3 or 4, I think) that perfect love casts out fear. Anyway, the point is don't choose vulnerability and then sit cowering, waiting for the blow. Instead, choose to love God and love people because love is much stronger than fear. So, choose love over fear. Choose vulnerability over self-preservation. God is the only one who can take care of you anyway. Let go of those illusions of control.

Friends, I am in a season that is meant to be hard. Long story short, I have struggled with this, thinking that nothing in my life should qualify for that adjective in light of other people's far greater afflictions. God has reminded me that my life is the life of Katherine Lynne Brooks. He has designed me with a plan and a purpose, and right now He is teaching me to trust Him and to be humble and vulnerable even when it seems foolish. Again, He is worth it. This is a wonderfully difficult time.

Beauty is as beauty does.

Here is an example of culture dictating beauty. Women in Mauritania are traditionally fattened to look more beautiful. As much as I struggle against it, I know that our culture's images continue to influence my perception of feminine beauty. As with most problems, I think the cure here is to pray for a Godly perspective.

Recent Questions

I live primarily in the future, using the past as a guide. Oftentimes, it is hard for me to enjoy the moment. This season is teaching me to live more in the present. Does your brain gravitate to the past, present, or future?

Are men more depraved than women? (I think not, yet they seem to commit more crimes.)

How does God view people with developmental disabilities? If our world was not broken, would there still be people with developmental disabilities?

In heaven, will we still be distracted from God? If not, I think this would be one of the greatest joys of heaven. I am realizing more and more how easily distracted I am from spending time with God. It reminds me of the famous C.S. Lewis quote: Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.

On earth, God grows us through trials. What will be the system of growth in heaven?

How can God stand to let humans be so cruel to one another?

What does God expect of me? (This one is more of a reminder, as I know that He wants me to love Him and love people.)

Check these out.

http://www.joniandfriends.org/jonis-corner/jonis-favorite-quotes/

And if you don't know about Joni Erickson Tada and her ministry, what a great introduction!

This weekend I...

...took the SAT and now am nervous about my math results.
...succumbed to a days-long chocolate craving and gorged on Peppermint Patties.
...heard an awesome song on Pandora called "Mended" by Watermark. Totally worth a dollar on iTunes, people. I love my Ginny Owens station. Carlene is genius!
...watched five Poirot episodes, far exceeding my average media intake for the past several months.
...tried to join a gym with Kate and Aimee, but alas, poor Yorick. It was too expensive.
...narrowly (I repeat, narrowly) beat Jeremy at Boggle two days in a row.
...thanked God for waiting because it's growing me and it's from Him, so I know it's good.

Comments on survivors

From Jacqueline Novogratz regarding her visit to Pakistan, site of the recent devastating floods that have displaced 20 million people.

When I was there, a couple things really reminded me of our shared humanity. Clearly, one was looking at the faces of the children and seeing incredible potential, and talking to people like the man who said, “Why would I go back?” He said, in English “I have seven years of education. I want to contribute. I want to be part of this.” I kept thinking, “Would I have this grace? Would I have this ability to interact with someone very privileged if I had been stripped of everything?”

The other piece that really hit me was that when we talk about people who’ve lost all their belongings, we have to contextualize what that means. When you see people who are without, it’s too easy to react with pity. What’s more powerful is that when you see people who’ve lost their belongings, and those belongings consist of three or four blankets and a couple of changes of clothing for an entire family, and you realize that you can put those belongings into your carry-on bag, that’s the really humbling piece. We live in a world in which we’re seeing an increasing gap between the haves and the have-nots. And yet, those without are still thinking about the very same things that any of us would think about in a similar situation: Are my children ok? Can I protect them? Can I feel proud in front of my husband or my wife? When will I get back so that I can send my kids to school? When can we start to get on with our lives?

A Gift

Searching for Pearls

Late this evening as I was perusing blogs about international relief and development work, I came across a blog filled with quotes and verses on the topics of suffering and perseverance. I liked this one:

“The burden of suffering seems to be a tombstone hung around our necks. Yet in reality it is simply the weight necessary to hold the diver down while he is searching for pearls.”

- Julius Richter, Streams in the Desert

Today was a long day.