Cakes to Pies

Do you know how in an earlier post I (Catherine) talked about cakes? Well, now I am going to talk about pies (hang with me).

In my county we are having a pie contest. The simple rules are as follows:

1. No store-bought pie crusts (they must be home-made)

2. The pie filling can be store bought

Simple, right? If you have ever made a pie before, you will know making a homemade pie crust in quite a chore (or, at least, it is for me, but I am an un-experienced cook)! The crust must be made and then frozen for 1 hour to 2 days! Then, you must wait for it to thaw enough to shape it and then you would put it in the pan. After sticking it in the pan, you pour in the pie filling and do the crust (I did the woven crust which is not very hard to do, enter in this address to learn how to make a pie crust topping http://elise.com/recipes/archives/005134how_to_make_a_lattice_top_for_a_pie_crust.php

Any way, it takes a long time to make and when I see the finished product I feel proud of my accomplishment.

So what does this have to do with anything (other than informing you on how to make a lattice top for a pie ;)? Once again, it is like the cake. If you came into the kitchen and even touched the pie with your dirty fingers (let alone cut a piece of it! :O), I would probably yell at you because I am trying to defend my product that I've worked on for 3 hours or 2 days (depending on how long you had trouble making the crust flat but durable enough to lift it up and put it in the pan)!

Your heart is way more important than some cake or pie! It helps you live!

If I get upset because you are about to hurt my pie, which only helps in making me and my taste buds happy for a few minutes, shouldn't I protect my heart, the thing that helps me live, with ten times as much ferocity?

In the Hands of the Potter

A shaft of morning sunlight fell through the small window of the potter's house, creating a yellow circle on the earthen floor. Shelves lined the walls, each one holding many clay pots, jars, bowls, vases, and cups, all beautifully carved and painted. A broom stood in the corner for sweeping up bits of clay that fell, but by the looks of the floor, it hadn't been used in a long time. The potter's wheel stood in the center of the room, with a three-legged stool pulled up to it, on which sat the potter. His hands where caked with clay, and little bits of it stuck in his hair and on his robe. A quiet whirrr emanated from the quickly spinning wheel, and as it spun, the faint sound of the potter patting the jar into shape could be heard. Another stool sat in the corner, and on it rested a girl about thirteen years old, with bright blue eyes and straight black hair. Her name is Rebekah, and she is the potter's daughter. As Rebekah watched the pot take shape, she noticed her father had formed the jar with to small of a neck. The potter shook his head, and smashed the jar into a lump of clay again. Rebekah gasped at how he had ruined it, but her father just smiled and turned to her.
"It's alright, Rebekah. You see, for the pot to be made right, I must start again. What seems so wrong will actually make the jar better in the end." Rebekah nodded slowly.
After the jar was finally finished, it looked more like a water jug. Rebekah's father explained that that was just what it was. As he showed her the beautiful swirls of red, blue, yellow, and green on it's sides, he told, like always, her that although the jug was beautiful, it was also useful.
"Just like you, Rebekah." He always said.
Many weeks went by, and, just like every morning, Rebekah took the jug to the well for water again. As she brought it out of the deep hole with a strong rope, she noticed how dusty the peice of pottery had become. The beautiful painting was hardly even visible! As Rebekah tried to brush some of the dirt off, she suddenly realized the truth of what her father had always told her. The jug was like her! She new that to God, she was beautiful and usefull, just like this jug was to her father. She also decided that the dust on the jug was like what her mother had always told her about keeping herself pure. If she gave away her purity before marriage, she would cover the beauty of who God had made her to be, and spoil her testimony, just like throwing dust over all the beautiful paintings on the jug. She knew that just like the dust cold be wiped off the jug, her Father in Heaven would always forgive her. However, just like over time the dirt and sand would wear some of the paint away, she would still have consequeces for her actions. Now she understood!
Girls, you're like Rebekah's jug too, and God is your potter. If you remain pure from now until you get married, you will still be just as beautiful as God made you to be in the first place.

How Do I Get A Pure Heart?

Just like the question "Why Do I Need A Pure Heart?" was answered in a (well, actually 7 different) post(s), I (Catherine) am going to talk about how you get and keep a pure heart.

In the blog post "What is a Pure Heart", I put this:

HOW CAN I GET A PURE HEART?

Remember at the question before this (Do I have a pure heart?), I said "Not at first"? I never said it was not attainable!

But how can you get a pure heart? How can you make it clean?

Remember what a pure heart is? It involves holiness, right?
Well, so what is holiness? Holiness means belonging to The King of Kings. Some call Him Jesus.
To get a pure heart you must have holiness.

Then I continued to talk about holiness and other things (click here for the whole entry).
You asked the question (or, rather, I asked the question for you), How do I get a pure heart?
Did you know that someone in the Bible (King David) asked that same question?

The first part of Psalm 119:9 says:

"How can a young man keep his way pure?"

Before we go on, please let me tell you something. Just because it says "How can a young man keep his way pure" instead of "How can a young lady keep her way pure" doesn't mean that it excludes us young ladies. No. First, this Psalm was written by King David, who was obviously a boy (man). He would write it from a man's point of view. Second, women were not thought of the same way as men. They were thought of as little more than servants. They were basically servants that had children and came from wealthy families. So David would not have written "how can a young lady keep her ways pure" simply because he was writing to the men/boys, not the woman/girls. None of this dismisses us from the question or the answer.

The second part of Psalm 119:9 says:

"By keeping it according to Your word."

The "Your" in there is Jesus, the King of Kings. So we are to keep The King's word.

What is His word?

Good question. Here's the answer.

The Bible. The Bible is His word.

So how do we keep the Bible?

Another good question. (you're just full of good questions :)

In order to keep the Bible, you have to know it. Let's compare it to sports. What happens if you decided to play a sport, let's say, basketball. There are rules in basketball, right (if you say no, you need to have a talk ;)? You have to memorize them so that you don't have to break them, right? If you say no, think of this. If you don't know the rules, then you'll break them (if unwittingly) and you'll get a penalty. Also, if someone is trying to make-up a rule and say it was in the rule book all along, what could you do? If you knew the rules, then you could say "umm, sorry but what you're saying is not in the rule book.".

We need to know the Bible in a similar way. Still not convinced? Here are 3 good reasons why we should memorize the Scriptures in the Bible

1. The Bible's Scriptures Keep Us From Sin

Jesus is pure. Jesus is pure because He invented purity. The way to stay pure is to stay close to the One Who Is Pure. When you fall into sin, the Scriptures will help you out of your sin.

In Matthew 4:1-11 it reads:

NOTE: pink words were added in by me (Catherine)

1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

2 And after He had fasted (fasted means that He didn't eat anything) forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry.

3 And the tempter (Satan, the Devil) came and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread."
4 But He answered and said, "It is written, 'MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.' (all CAPS means that it was quoted from the Old Testament)"
5 Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple,
6 and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written,
'HE WILL COMMAND HIS ANGELS CONCERNING YOU';
and
'ON their HANDS THEY WILL BEAR YOU UP,
SO THAT YOU WILL NOT STRIKE YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE.'" 7 Jesus said to him, "On the other hand, it is written, 'YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST.'"
8 Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory;
9 and he said to Him, "All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me."
10 Then Jesus said to him, "Go, Satan! For it is written, 'YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND SERVE HIM ONLY.'"
11 Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.

Jesus Himself used the Scriptures to defeat the king of lies (Satan). He set the example that we should memorize the Scriptures that we will be able to stand up to temptation and stand firm in what we believe. Did you notice something else? Satan used the Scriptures too. That means he knows the Bible too! We have to be on our guard! And another thing, we must memorize Scripture because we won't always have a Bible on hand, so we must have a Bible in our heart.

2. Memorizing Scripture Allows Us to Seek HIS Heart

King David was praised and is well known for being a man after God's own heart. Did you know that King David was also Israel's greatest king? He was the only one known as a man after God's own heart, and he was Israel's greatest king. Does this just happen to be a coincidence? No. David searched and strove to be more like God, and God blessed him for it. HE will also bless us if we try to be more like HIM.

3. Memorizing Scripture Helps Us Pray

Have you ever had someone repeat your words? Or when you are trying to get your little baby brother/sister to say "daddy" (or "mommy") after you, aren't you so excited when they finally say "daddy" (or "mommy")? It makes you feel happy and glad that they were listening and paying attention to you. You can add Scripture to prayer. Just like when you feel happy that someone is paying attention to your words, Jesus is happy that you are listening (reading) HIS word, the Bible. Did you know that the 150 Psalms in the Bible touch every emotion? (All of the following Scriptures are from the NIV version of the Bible)

Psalm 3 and 10 is a cry of David. He is crying out the The LORD because "many rise against me" (Psalm 3:1)

Psalm 7 is David talking about The LORD being his refuge from his enemies.

Psalm 8, 9, and 18 is David praising The LORD joyfully.

Psalm 12 is David calling out to The LORD because "the faithful have vanished from among men."

Psalm 51 is David begging The LORD to forgive him of his sin(s).

Psalm 23 (a famous Psalm) is David talking about how The LORD is his shepherd and he is the sheep. Shepherds protects their sheep, just like The LORD protects HIS children.\

Psalm 27 is of David asking who he should be afraid of because "The LORD is my light and my salvation".

Psalm 35 is of David asking The LORD to come and destroy his enemies.

These are just a few of the emotions found in the Psalms. See if you can look up some yourself.

HINT: Bible gateway (see Recommended Websites) is a good place to look if you don't have a Bible available.

Keep Blooming!

Princess Catherine

Why Do I Need A Pure Heart?, Reason 7

7. A Pure Heart Effects Your Future Husband (in a good way)

If you have a pure heart, you have "all of the cake" to give to your future husband. This is more desirable than a half eaten cake! What happens if I give you your favorite flavor of candy bar, but then when you open it you see there is only half. I tried to make it pretty on the outside, but it's not the same as a full candy bar, right? Well, keeping your heart pure is a way to "guard your candy bar" or "guard your cake".

Welcome Princess Melody!!!

We have now three authors on this blog; myself (Princess Catherine), Princess Izori, and now Princess Melody!

Please make her feel welcome and treat her like a fellow sister in Christ!

Princess Catherine

Actions Speak Louder than Words

In this culture, I (Izori) know from experience how hard it is to be a real princess when everyone else is not. I think everyone at one time has had an experience where they are looked on as being out of fashion and unpopular because they act differently from an impure culture.

Even when I was eight and nine years old, I have had people ask me, "Why do you wear a dress?" as if dresses were something to be looked down on. At those times, it's really hard to remember that being popular and cool in the world's eyes is not really important.

And there are some times when dresses, skirts, and modest clothing can be more practical than skimpy, tight-fitting clothing. How easy do you think it is to run in skintight jeans, or bend over in a cleavage showing shirt?

Being pure and dressing modestly effects others around you, like Princess Catherine has said in previous posts. If there is a pure minded young man standing on the sidewalk, and a girl in immodest clothing flounces by, the man's mind will be blemished. Acting pure will rub off on your friends when you are around them, and you will also get a very good reputation by acting responsible, mature, and honorable, not frivolous and loose.

All of this--acting and dressing modestly--witnesses amazingly. Actions definitely speak louder than words, and you would be surprised how much they speak. People tend to notice when you go against the norm of today.

My mom baked a whole bunch of bread one day, so much that we had to give some away. One of our neighbors, who baby-sits for several other moms, was talking to one of her clients when my brother and I walked up with a loaf of bread. Because our neighbor and the lady who she was talking to were deep in conversation, we waited until they noticed us, instead of shouting over them to get their attention.

After we handed our neighbor the bread, her client remarked, "My, you're such patient children! My kids would never wait for us to stop talking like that!"

My brother and I hadn't even realized we had done something spectacular! We had just been trained to wait like that, and we hadn't given it a thought that we did. I am still amazed that we made such an impression on our neighbors client.

Does anyone else have a case when their actions spoke louder than their words?

In Christ,

Princess Izori

Why Do I Need A Pure Heart?, Reason 6

6. Because A Pure Heart Effects Your Life (in a good way)

A pure heart can keep you out of hurtful situations, help you from hurting others, lets you please the King of Kings, helps you protect your family as well as yourself, and can help your friends too! These are all good reasons to have a pure heart, right? Well, all these things will effect your life, but in a much better way then an impure heart would effect your life.

Why Do I Need A Pure Heart?, Reasons 4 & 5

Reasons 4 and 5 go hand and hand, so I (Catherine) am going to post them together.

4. Because A Pure Heart Helps Your Family

This reason is the same as number 2.
Your actions effect those around you. In this case it is your family. It could hurt them too.
You need to be careful about your influence on your younger siblings; you have more influence over them than you know. And don't use the excuse that since your older siblings are (obviously) older that you don't have to set an example.
1 Timothy 4:12 (NIV) states clearly:
"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in faith, and in purity."
Notice that it says don't let anyone look down on you. It doesn't say "Don't let everyone except your older siblings look down on you because you are young." And look at that! It even says to set an example in purity too! This passage is pretty clear on this point!

5. Because A Pure Heart Can Effect Your Friends (in a good way)

Have you ever heard it said that the friends you hang out with effect you? Well, you effect your friends too! If you have a pure heart, they will see it and who wants a dirty, impure heart when they can have a pure, clean one? Especially since they see that their friend has it. They start to become curious as to what it is and then they start to want it too.

Why Do I Need A Pure Heart, Reason 3

3. Because A Pure Heart Pleases The King of Kings

Matthew 5:8 says this:
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God."

If God didn't want people to have pure hearts, He wouldn't bless those who stay pure.

Also the ones who stay pure will see Him. If you don't like something, you don't want to see it. So God is again telling us that He wishes fervently that we have pure hearts.

Why Do I Need A Pure Heart?, Reason 2

2. Because a Pure Heart Keeps You from Hurting Others

Remember, your actions effect those around you, including your family and friends. If a team member on any sport team decides that they are not going to help on the team or that they simply are not going to play because they don't feel like it, what would happen? The team would not, could not, reach its full potential because they were missing a player. Not only that, they were being burdened by this useless player! Their decision, right or otherwise, effected a whole team. It is like that with your heart. If you decide to make it impure by watching things that you shouldn't or reading magazines with impure pictures, you are doing yourself a discourtesy and people around you. What do I mean by that? You will start thinking about those things the more you read/watch them. Then you might talk about them, or encourage others to read/watch them. You are leading yourself astray and others too.

"Why Do I Need a Pure Heart?"

In my post "What is a Pure Heart", I (Catherine) might have addressed this issue, but the main point was to tell you what a pure heart is. This blog post is directed on answering the question "Why Do I Need a Pure Heart?".

In the next few days I'll be giving you reasons to stay pure, but here is the first one now!

Keep Blooming!

Princess Catherine

1. Because A Pure Heart Will Protect You Emotionally

Remember the post about The Dangers of Dating (See Is Dating Dangerous? Part 1 and Is Dating Dangerous? Part 2 for more information)?

Now, I am not saying that if you don't date you automatically get a pure heart, but it will help a lot. It will help you keep out of hurtful situations like when you break-up.
If your heart is pure it will guide you in a pure direction. If it is not pure, it will lead you into sin.
Wouldn't you rather stay out of sin then be in sin?

Proverbs 31, Part IV: More Serving

She opens her arms to the poor
and extends her hands to the needy.
When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
Proverbs 31:20-21

These verses show the Proverbs 31 woman's selflessness and caring. 'She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy/When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet'. She cares for those who need it, like her family, or people who are needy.

This is a very good example of generosity. As you probably know, this costs her not a little. But, according to what we see here, she isn't complaining about that at all. Rather, it looks more like she welcomes the opportunity to serve. And that's one of the most important parts about serving--doing it from your heart.

I (Izori) have noticed that the 'theme of the week' is serving people, so I'll go along with that and list more ways that you can serve.

In your church--our church has many opportunities for service. Sometimes, people who need something (like maternity clothes or help with yard-work) write it on a piece of paper, and then other people sign up to fill their need. My mom has done this several times, and I would like to do it sometime, too.

In your home--I don't mean just do the chores; those are what you automatically have to do. I mean offer to help your parents with something for free. I have this problem with this. For some reason, it's very hard for me to do something without expecting anything in return, and I really have to work on this (especially since I'm telling other people to do so, too :).

There are so much more ways to serve others. Princess Catherine has some great suggestions, and I suggest you read those, too.

In Christ,

Princess Izori

Proverbs 31, Part III: Laziness (not a good thing)

She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.
She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.
In her hand she holds the distaff
and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
Proverbs 31:17-19

In these verses we see that the Proverbs 31 woman is not lazy. 'She sets about her work vigorously' 'her lamp does not go out at night' are all good examples of this.

Here is a good thing to learn before it's too late: God created us for work! God didn't command Adam and Eve to laze around and be couch-potatoes, he told them to tend the garden. No where in the Bible does God say 'I command you to be lazy' or 'I tell you the truth: you should sit on the couch with a bag of potato chips' (here my dear brother suggested that I should put 'I command you to play video-games all day). Instead, God tells us not to 'eat the bread of idleness'.

Now, God knows that we can't always be working; as humans in a fallen world, we need our rest. But that is not an excuse to be doing nothing all the time. This is a great problem of mine. I tend to just sit on the couch listening to my MP3 player, when I could be knitting or something like that.

How do you think your husband would feel if you just sat around all day, leaving him to do the work? I'd advise you (and me) to get into the habit of being non-lazy quickly.

In Christ,

Izori

Proverbs 31, Part II: Service

She selects wool and flax
and works with eager hands.
She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar.
She gets up while it is still dark;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her maidens.
She considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
Proverbs 31:13-16

As you can see from the above verses, the Proverbs 31 woman certainly isn't lazy! She does handwork (like knitting, sewing, embroidery), and does it cheerfully, as the 'works with eager hands' part indicates. She brings her food from afar. That doesn't mean she goes to China everyday to get her food, however. It really means that she doesn't just take the first produce that she can find. She is willing to look all over to find good food for her family!

'She gets up while it is still dark; and provides food for her family'. That is showing that she works hard and diligently to make sure her family can be fed properly. She doesn't lay around in bed, expecting her servants to prepare the food for her. Maidens is another term for 'servant girls', and from the ending of verse 15, it sure looks like she prepares the food for them!

Verse 16's meaning is often mistaken to be that the Proverbs 31 woman has a job outside the home, instead of being a home-keeper. This actually isn't true. It's possible to have a job from inside your home. I just finished butterfly-sitting, turtle-sitting, and I often dog-sit, too! I know someone who bakes and sells bread from inside their home, too. The considering, and then buying a field out of her own earnings indicates that she is a steward of her money. Notice that she just doesn't buy the field at random without considering carefully what she was investing in.

The Proverbs 31 woman, as we will see later on, serves other people willingly (see verse 20 and others). Princess Catherine has two excellent posts about service called "Ways to Serve, Idea 1", and Ways to Serve. Here are some more ways to serve:

Do you know someone who just had a baby, has had a hard time lately, or just needs some cheering up? A good way to serve them is to give them food, like some fresh-baked, homemade cookies, or chicken soup, or meatloaf. My mom had a baby about a year ago, and we really appreciated all the good meals we got from generous people willing to serve! We didn't have to cook anything for several weeks, which was good for all of us. Also, my dad recently got diagnosed with cancer (please pray for him, fellow princesses) and we got several more meals. I know from experience that this is a good way to serve others.

See any mothers at your church trying to deal with a cranky two year old while juggling a baby and a coffee cup at the same time? I sure have! A good way to serve in this situation is to offer to hold the baby or/and the coffee cup for her. I'm sure she would appreciate that greatly.

Do you know someone who's having trouble with fair-weather friends? I have a few friends whose friends are 'fair-weather' friends. They like you if your popular and pretty, but when you show signs of unpopularity, they aren't your friends anymore. I have also experienced this, and it's wonderful having real friends to cheer you up. Try to be a very good friend to people that you see are in this situation.

More's coming soon!

In Christ,

Princess Izori

Ways to Serve, Idea 3

YOU CAN SERVE IN YOUR COMMUNITY

This could be in your town or in your neighborhood! If you see someone moving in, you could get a bag together full of things they would need when first moving in (such as paper towels, toilet paper, tissues, and so on). You could help clean up trash (if there is any) or think of and organize games for little children (3, 4, and 5 year olds) around your home. The older children (6 and up) would enjoy games too! Or maybe it is just waving to a sad looking neighbor, or bringing a meal to one who just had a baby (like Princess Izori kindly suggested).

If you have any other ideas, please comment!

Princess Catherine

Ways to Serve, Idea 2

YOU CAN SERVE IN YOUR HOME



You can help your older and/or younger sibblings with their chores. You can assist your mom at the grocery store (such as putting things in the cart onto the up on the converbelt, putting the bagged idems in the cart, loading the idems in the car, and unloading the idems from the car), or help your dad with some things around the house! There are pleanty of ways to help out! What would work best for your family?

Ways to Serve, Idea 1

The last post I (Catherine) did was about ways to serve. Here is the first idea!

YOU CAN SERVE IN YOUR CHURCH

What do you like helping with?

Is it making crafts?

Is it telling stories and/or acting them out?

Is it helping with the babies or toddlers?

Or maybe it is helping with the older children.

Perhaps you have a heart for the 4, 5, 0r 6 year olds.

It could be other things as well such as getting together a snack, helping with music, serving in VBS (Vacation Bible School), the options are almost limitless!

Ways to Serve

We have discussed not just sitting around for our Prince Charming or Knight in Shining Armor, but what should we do while waiting?


OK, first off, there is a difference between waiting and sitting around. If you noticed the "labels" at the bottom of each post, I posted the label "While waiting" not "While sitting around".


Sitting around means doing nothing, just sitting. When you are sitting, you aren't moving, at least, you're not going anywhere.



Waiting does not mean that you just sit there, it means that you wait.



Have you ever waited for someone special at the airport, bus stop, or train station? Well, don't you move around? What I mean is, don't you do something while you are waiting? You probably don't just sit there pout because they aren't coming right that second. You know they are coming and you are excited!


I know it's not the exact same thing as when you are waiting for your Prince or Knight, but you get the general gist of what I'm saying (or should I say "you get the general gist of what I'm typing" because I'm not really saying. Sorry, just had to point that out :).



So, back to While Waiting. How can we not just sit around? How can we wait with a purpose? You know how I talk about serving The King? Serving Him is a great way to help other people and do something when we are waiting other than just sitting around. Instead of growing bored, we are growing into useful and thoughtful ladies that will one day become a wife!

So what are some ways to serve The King of Kings?

Good Question.

The next few blogs posts will give you the answers!

Keep Blooming!


Princess Catherine

Proverbs 31: Part I, Trustworthy

A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.
Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.
She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.
Proverbs 31:10-12

Proverbs 31 is a very good passage to memorize; it describes how to recognize a good wife. It says in the passage above that a good wife is 'worth far more than rubies'. Rubies are very valuable and precious, yet a noble wife is much more rare and valuable then them. It also says that her husband has full confidence in her, and lacks nothing of value. Apparently, a good wife is trustworthy, and her husband doesn't lose anything because of her foolishness.

A trustworthy woman would be trusted to go out shopping and not to come back with expensive, useless stuff. Her husband could trust her to use good judgement financially ( see verses 14-19 and other parts of Proverbs 31. I'll do a post on those later) and to always be faithful to him. How much good would a wife do if she isn't faithful, and instead brings trouble upon her husband? Not much.

A good way to practice being trustworthy is to prove that your wise. Use your money wisely, and also be a good friend, not a fair weather one. Then when you do get married, it'll be a lot easier.

More later, I have chores to do!

In Christ,

Princess Izori

Do Hard Things

Did the title catch your attention?

Well, this is the title of a book written by the twin younger brothers of Joshua Harris (he is the author of the best selling book "I Kissed Dating Goodbye"), and the title is just the same as the title of this blog;"Do Hard Things". Also on the cover are the words "A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations.", which, when I carry the book around to read while waiting for doctor appointments, always seems to catch peoples' attention and interest.

What does this have to do with anything?

I (Princess Catherine) went to a conference held by Alex and Brett. It was AMAZING! They spoke up on stage (in front of more than 300 people) without seeming fazed at all! They had some incredible points and some ideas that made you ponder (in a good way) what they said. The first section that they were talking about was mostly things in their book (Do Hard Things), but the other four sections (including a section in which their father, Greg Harris, spoke) brought up other points not included in the book. I liked this because it was not just reading the book outloud.

Here are my notes from the confrence!

The Myth of Adolescence

Adolescence- “to grow up” or “growing up”

“The most we are expected to do as young people is the least we should be expecting of young people. The ceiling is where the floor should be.”-Alex Harris, twin brother of Brett Harris, both authors of the book “Do Hard Things”.

“The Apostle Paul did not write ‘When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. But then I became a teenager and I looked like an adult, I sounded like an adult, but I still acted like a child.’ He wrote, ‘When I was a child I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.” (1 Corinthians 13:11, NIV) -Alex Harris

“We are not challenging you to be like the young people 100 years ago, but we are challenging you to break out of the mold of low expectations and do “hard” things.” -Alex Harris

Five Kinds of Hard (as found in their book, “Do Hard Things”)

1. Things that go beyond your comfort zone

2. Things that go beyond what is expected or required

3. Things that are too big to accomplish alone

4. Things that don’t earn an immediate payoff

5. Things that challenge the cultural norm

Brett Harris’s Talk (June 20th, 2009)

“Our challenges have grown, but we have grown with our challenges.” – Brett Harris, twin brother of Alex Harris, author of the book “Do Hard Things”.

“It seems that the older we get, we define our challenges by the level of difficulty, but when we were younger, we tried to complete our task(s)/challenge(s) even if we failed more than once before.” –Brett

“Have you really reached your limit or has it gotten too hard for you so you quit? God is not glorified when we limit ourselves to things that come easily to us.” – Brett

Q. How does growth happen?

A. By testing and exerting ourselves.

How Do We Do Hard Things?

1. It Would Look Like Trampling Sin in Our Lives

"The flesh wants to do easy things, like get angry. Anger is wrong and easy. Being self-controlled is right, but difficult.” – Brett Harris

2. Battling Discouragement and Complacency·

Discouragement limits our ability to want to do hard things.

Complacency- being satisfied with what you have/are and won’t exert themselves·

“Don’t do what’s hard for other people, do things that are hard for you.” – Brett

3. Doing More Than What’s Required

It is so easy to expect our parents, friends, elders, and/or pastors to equip us for life.”– Brett

4. Getting Over Our Fear of Failure

“Nothing will hold you back more than the fear of falling when trying to Do Hard Things.” – Brett Harris

“It’s ok if we fail while trying to do hard things as long as we learn from our experiences. I grow stronger, even though I fail.” – Brett

5. Doing Small Things·

“It’s ok to do small, every day things. Doing a hard thing doesn’t have to be big.”- Brett

6. You Best Life

“Not ‘your easiest life’ but ‘your best life’.” – Brett Harris

Talk By Alex Harris (June 20th, 2009)

The Power of Companionship

1. Not Just Alone

Companions have a huge influence on you

2 Timothy 2:22 (NIV)"Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart."·

“We are made to work with one another.” –Alex Harris·

Proverbs 27:17 (NIV)“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”

2. Not Just with Peers

1 Corinthians 15

Ephesians 1:1-6

3. Nor Just with People

Proverbs 13:20 (ESV)

“Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.”·

“The books you read, the TV you watch, the computer games we play, exc. are companions. We don’t think of these things as companions and that is why they are shaping us without us realizing it.” – Alex Harris·

Give thought to those non-human companions

Another Talk by Brett Harris (June 20th, 2009)

7 Practical Encouragements:

1. I (Meaning Brett) Encourage You to have Heroes·

Examples: “This is the type of husband/wife I want someday” or “This is the type of mother/father I want to be like someday.”

2. Make Friends with Dead People (Authors)·

“I know this sounds weird but hang with me…..” – Brett Harris·

Read History biographies about people and Christian authors’ books

3. Take Advantage of What “The Rebelution” is Doing

Use the material available:

http://www.therebelution.com/blog·http://www.therebelution.com

“Do Hard Things” the book

4. Find the Secret Rebelutionaries

Find them and encourage them!

5. Seek Out Godly Individuals in Your Life

Ask Them "If you were my age, what books would you recommend?

What do you want me to know?

What would you want to tell your younger self?"

6. God is the Ultimate Companion!

To know HIM More:

Read HIS word, the Bible

Talk to HIM by praying

Remember HIS ways are not our ways

7. Change Something!

Things aren’t going to be perfect

It doesn’t have to be a big change!

“Storms will come, but don’t be despaired!” – Brett·

“If you always do what you’ve always done, nothing will change; no matter how you feel right now.” – Brett

Remember, Change Something!

Keep Blooming,

Princess Catherine WhiteRose

Contentment

Being content is a major part of a good marriage, and learning to count your blessings is good for every circumstance. If your mom asks you to fold laundry when you really wanted to read that book you just got, you can either pout and frown while you do your chore, making it miserable for yourself and everyone around you, or you can do it with a cheerful smile and everything will go so much quicker. Believe me, I am not perfect, and this is one of my hardest issues. But it really works!

I highly dislike to do a number of things, including my chores. I have tried being grumpy, and it only prolongs the process, makes me careless, makes me miserable, and then I start thinking bad things about mom. 'Why is she ordering me around? She doesn't have school work, she doesn't write books, she doesn't have a zillion and three other things to do...all she does is sit on the couch eating bonbons all day!" And it gets worse.

However, if I'm cheerful, I can see more easily how I'm blessed more then I can imagine. I guess I'd better be thankful for dirty dishes to load into the dishwasher, because that means we have food to dirty them. And these weeds really aren't that bad, imagine how good the tomatoes will taste when they're ripe! My whole day lightens up when I'm being cheerful and acting like a proper young maiden.

Contentment is a lesson we should all learn (me especially) before we marry our prince. Because not all of us will be blessed with a castle to live in. Maybe some of us will be blessed with a little straw hut, or with no home at all. Being grumpy and discontent will cause us to miss out on the little things that make straw huts or the life of a nomad precious, like spending time with your prince, or watching a sunset. Instead, you'll be thinking how much better it would be to have a working dishwasher, or an actual garden with something other then weeds in it. If you grumble at having to change yet another of Mary's diapers or having to drop what your doing to give Johnny yet another push on the swing, you won't bother to ponder their importance. What if Johnny or Mary died? There'll be no more swings or dirty diapers. And if they don't die, there will come a time when they will be grown and out of the house. Then you'll remember all the missed opportunities to train Mary to be a princess and Johnny to be a prince--because you were to busy complaining.

Opportunities to practice being content:

While doing chores. Smile and be pleasant, think of all the benefits of chores. Laundry? Well, be thankful you have clothing. Have to watch a younger sibling? Be thankful that you have a younger sibling to watch.

While in hard situations. Always count your blessings, but especially in hard situations. If you lost a loved one, instead of blaming God and asking him why, praise God for all the good times you had with them.

In everthing. Does this need further explanation? In everything give praise to God, not just when the going's good.

Remember, princesses are not always bathed in luxury. Think of Snow White, cheerfully doing housework for the dwarves in the woods. Or Aurora, being raised as a peasant-girl. The Disney movies may show them blissfully picking roses among the woods or making gooseberry pies, but their lives were much harder then that! Or all the real life princesses, such as Pocohantas and Elizabeth I, Esther, and many more. Pocohantas put her life on the line and was kidnapped, Elizabeth was kept under guard by her sister who hated her, and Esther had to keep her identity secret, and later had to confront the king to save her people. Did they complain of their hard lot and do nothing?

Here are some Scripture verses on contentment:

Philippians 4:10-13

Hebrews 13:5

I Timothy 6:6-8

There are so many more!

In Christ,

Princess Izori

Answers to the Spiritual Questions Teenagers Ask

"Answers to the Spiritual Questions Teenagers Ask"

by Gwendolyn Michell Diaz

*****

"Answers to the Spiritual Questions Teenagers Ask" is a great book written by Gwendolyn Michell Diaz. I would strongly recommend that you read it!



Here are some things about the author: (this information is found in the book)



Gwendolyn Michell Diaz is a mother of four sons. Her husband works in Search Ministries, a ministry that helps answer questions that "had bothered me (Gwendolyn) most of my growing-up life". (this quote can be found in the introduction of her book "Answers to the Spiritual Questions Teenagers Ask")



I really like this book! It addresses questions that we might have but are afraid to ask or have asked and the people we do ask don't have the answers.



In this book, Mrs. Diaz answers the questions: (these are found in the Contents)



1. Why Should I Read This Book?

2. Can you Prove to Me That There is a God?

3. If there is a God, Why Does He Allow So Much Suffering?

4. How Do We Know that The Bible is a Reliable Source?

5. Did the Miracles in the Bible Really Happen?

6. Isn't it Narrow-Minded to Say That Jesus is the Only Way to God?

7. What About Those Who Have Never Heard About Jesus?

8. Isn't Christianity Just a Psychological Crutch?

9. Is There Really a Hell? What about Heaven?

10. What Does it Mean to Believe?

11. Can I Be Sure I'm Going to Heaven?



She answers these with points that are easy to understand and reseniable. I would strongly recommend reading this book!


Keep Blooming!



Princess Catherine WhiteRose

Modesty: Part II

I Timothy 2:9-10

I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God.

This Bible verse isn't saying that we shouldn't braid our hair or wear nice clothing. It's really saying that we should not think that they are more important than whether or not we are acting pure and godly. The world greatly emphasizes how we look--whether or not we have the newest styles, 'cool' hairdo's, or latest earrings. And some of the fashions of the world today are definitely not what a pure maiden who trusts in the Lord would wear.

Imagine if Prince Charming showed up looking for his beautiful, pure princess, and what he found instead was a rude girl, dressed in clingy, immodest attire with a horrendous attitude. He wouldn't be attracted, no, he'd be wondering what in the world happened to his princess?

Thinking in allegorical terms has always helped me to see how awful being impure is. So in this instance, think of purity as a jewel. Here is a story about this:

Once upon a time, there was a great king, the ruler of a mighty kingdom. He had two beautiful daughters who he loved very much. He had given both of them a gift at their birth, a sparkling, flawless, purity jewel to keep. They were meant for the princesses to give them to their husbands on their wedding day.

The girls grew into fine young ladies, until one day the eldest grew impatient with waiting for her prince to come to her. So one night, she snuck out of the castle and off into the kingdom. When she returned, several months later, her purity jewel had changed. Instead of being the sparkling, flawless thing it had once been, it was dull and chipped. Although, luckily for the eldest princess, her prince did come along and marry her, her jewel would never be as precious as it had once been.

The younger princess, seeing what had happened to her sister, stayed in the castle, patiently waiting for her prince and knowing that her father knew best what to do--wait.

Her patience was rewarded when her prince came to the castle, attracted by her flawless purity jewel. They married soon afterward, and unlike her sister, the youngest princess could give her husband a pure jewel.

So, the moral of the story is: keep your jewel a pure gift to give to your husband.

In Christ,

Princess Izori

Modesty: Part I

In a world that doesn't value purity and highly values impurity and immodesty, showing that you are pure and modest is very important. Like the way you dress.

Some modest people only wear dresses or skirts. Even though I enjoy wearing those and looking feminine, I find that for some activities that I do, pants are more modest. Modern day horse-riding, for example, is more for pants. Women rode sidesaddle and wore skirts, but it's a little hard finding side-saddle riding lessons around here.

And another thing to note about modesty: it isn't just wearing modest clothing, it's about how you act! Your clothing should reflect your pure addittude. If someone sees you wearing feminine, modest clothing and sees you acting in a pure, modest way, they will probably think, "Wow, I bet she's one of those Christians! Why isn't she wearing skintight, ripped up jeans or a skimpy top?" Wearing modest clothing is a way to shine your light in the world as a believer.

Also, wearing worldly clothes attracts the wrong kind of person. If a godly young man sees you in skintight clothing with a grumpy, 'cool' attitude, he certainly won't think you're a pure maiden waiting for her Prince Charming. However, a worldly man would say, "Hey, she looks just like the right girl for me! She probably doesn't even know what a Christian is!"

So remember to act with modesty and purity, and not like the world, while you're waiting for Prince Charming. Here are some Bible verses on modesty and purity:

Psalm 24

Psalm 51:10

Philippians 4:8 (as a matter of fact, this is a good verse to memorize!)

Titus 1:15-16

Titus 2:3-5 (another good one to memorize)

I Timothy 2:9-10

I Timothy 4:12 (a very good verse to memorize)

These are only a few verses on this subject. I encourage you to look up verses on modesty and purity in your own Bible, too!

In Christ,

Princess Izori

What is a Pure Heart?

When I typed in the words "Pure of Heart", this post came up: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071109185508AAyoafn

Here is the question:

"So yeah, what does it mean to have a pure heart? i.e. -- Like when someone says 'You must be pure of heart.'?"

Here is the "Best Answer" that was chosen by the voters.

"Its a very simple way of saying something very complicated. Pure of Heart refers to being honest, believing in people, accepting them for what they are. Being truthful in all things you do......get it?"

Notice that this is posted by "WitchTwo".

Witches, sorcery, voodoo dolls, weegie boards; they all go against the Bible and The King of Kings.


So, what is a Pure Heart?
What does that mean?

Before I can answer, I must point something out:

People (especially in this time of the world) seem to think that purity of heart is unattainable, therefore, why even strive to achieve it?
This is the excuse they have come up with so they won't have to worry about trying to achieve a pure heart. Why would they not want a pure heart? I mean, one of the definitions of pure is "clean". Who would not want a clean heart? Or, rather, who would want a dirty heart?

Now, to answer the question "What is a Pure Heart?"

WHAT IS A PURE HEART?

A pure heart involves holiness. For a man or woman of The King of Kings (Jesus), a pure heart is focused on Him. It is a "clean heart" that was purified by Him, for His glory and His purpose! If the definition of a Pure Heart was, as WitchTwo stated, "accepting them for what they are" (them, referring to people) that could pose a problem. Why?
Because what about people that were/are evil? What happens if we just accepted Hitler as he was? What if we decided that no one has the right to hurt him because we must accept him for what he was just for the sake of being "pure of heart"? Then countless people would have died (and people did die) because of him.

Or think of it this way. What if your favorite hero or heroine decided not to fight the bad guy because "they needed to accept him/her the way he is/was" just for the sake of a pure heart? That would not go so well, I can assure you! The King of Kings believes in justice, He created justice.

DO I HAVE A PURE HEART?

Not at first.
"But I am a good person!" you might insist.

Then answer this question truthfully; have you ever sinned?
Have you ever broken the rules (even when no one is looking), hurt someone (even if it is with your words), stolen (even a small thing, like a cookie), lied (if you say "no", then you just did lie), or even thought a mean or un-encouraging thought (you didn't even say it out loud)? You have done at least one of these things. You probably have done them all at one point or another. Even the smallest amount of dirtiness is still not clean, or, in other words, pure.

What happens if gave you your favorite drink, but it had some dirt, mud, dust, or other dirty thing in it? Or what if I spit in it? Would you still drink it? It is very likely that you would not. You could get sick from that piece of dirt, or I could share my germs with you! It is the same way with a pure heart. Even a little bit of dirtiness is not good. But there is a way to get a pure heart. There is a way to clean up the dirtiness.

HOW CAN I GET A PURE HEART?

Remember at the question before this (Do I have a pure heart?), I said "Not at first"? I never said it was not attainable!

But how can you get a pure heart? How can you make it clean?

Remember what a pure heart is? It involves holiness, right?
Well, so what is holiness? Holiness means belonging to The King of Kings. Some call Him Jesus.

Now What?, Part 2

I finished the last post with the question:

"He is your dream date. But is he your dream husband?"

What do I mean by that?

Remember how we talked about the list of requirements? (click here for the blog post: A List of Requirements) I am referring to that post. He might be a nice guy to date, but would you want to marry him? Does he measure up to all the "Needs" of your list? (Remember that the "waits" are not vital, they are just "wants") And remember too that we decided that dating was dangerous.

So what should we do instead of dating?

Before I answer this question, I must point out two things something.
1. We have become so dependant on dating that we have forgotten that it has only been around for a little while.
2. We have forgotten what people did before dating when they were interested in a member of the opposite gender.

Now that I have pointed that out, I shall answer the question:
Courting.

I know what you are thinking "Not courting! You have no fun when your court!" and things along that line. Stay with me!

Remember that getting to know a person before you marry them is not suppose to be "fun". It is about getting to know the person and seeing if you and he make a good team/match. When you are married you can't afford to go out to eat every day (or even every week); that money will be used for other things! And marriage will be hard at points, so why should life before you marry?

Now, back to courting.

Courting has 7 benefits over dating (it probably has more, but these are the things I can think of right now).

1. He asks your dad if he can court you

This means no asking the boy yourself! No worrying or sweating about what to say; that's his job. And the cool thing is if you don't like him, you can use your dad as an excuse! What do I mean by that? If you know this guy does not measure up to your requirements (your Needs, not wants) or if you just don't like him, you can ask your dad to shoo him away for you. You don't have to do a thing! If your dad is not available, ask a brother or your mom. They can help too!

2. You get to know him in a friendly atmosphere

You can watch him interact with other people other than yourself. How does he react when he is happy, excited, angry, frustrated, or sad? How does he act with other females? What qualities does he have when not being on his best behavior? These are all things that you can do when not on a date.

3. You get to know him in a family atmosphere

Most of the time with dating you want to be alone, or with other couples that are dating or going on the same date. But what about his family? How does he treat his sister and what respect does he show his mother? Does he honor his father's authority? Does the family think highly of him? The way he treats his sister and the respect he shows his mother will be the same way (not the exact same, but similar) he treats you. If he honors his father's authority he will also honor your father and it shows that he respects authority. If his family thinks highly of him it shows that he has good qualities. They would know; they've lived with him.

4. You get to know him when you are not wearing your "Rose Colored Glasses"

You can see him in real life, not behind glass. How does he handle his money? Does he tithe to the Church? Does he have a job that can support you and any possible children you might have?Would he be a good husband/father? Is he ready to get married? These facts usually go unnoticed or unchallenged when couples are dating. But they need to be addressed. These are things that are important and we are just letting them slip by and pass it as "we are just having fun".

5. He gets to know you

He gets to know about how you act in a friendly atmosphere. He gets to know about your family life. He gets to know how you handle your money, would you be a good wife/mother, and whether or not you are ready to get married.

6. You get to be yourself around him

He knows about your family. He knows how you act in a friendly atmosphere where all your attention is not on him. He knows how you handle your money, knows if you would be a good wife/mother and if you are ready to marry or if he and you should wait. You don't have to worry if your hair is not completely perfect or your make-up is too much or to little. You don't have to worry about what you are wearing all the time or if you match. You don't have to clean up your room so it is spotless 'cause he knows you are messy! What a relief! You don't have to act perfect anymore! You can't act perfect because you are not perfect! I'm not either and neither is he! You don't have to pretend around him. Just be you. You can be you around him!

7. You won't give some of your heart away

Remember the cake? Remember us being the princesses? (if not, click here: Is Dating Dangerous? Part 1)

You only court if you are planning to marry him. So if you court you are ready to get married, right? And he is ready too. He is not planning to dump you; he really means the "Until death do we part" section of the marriage vow, and so should you. Sometimes courting couples decide not to marry or continue courting, but it is not for silly reasons like in dating. It is for real reasons, not some excuse of a reason like in dating. Having the idea that when you court you are considering him for marriage is better than dating. Why? Because with dating you are expected to break up and it is almost never the intent to marry, or, at least, not for a while (see the blog post "Is Dating Dangerous? Part 1" for more details), while in courting you are prepared to get married.

So, courting has at least 7 Benefits that dating does not. Now, I am not saying that you can't go (every once and a while) hang out by yourselves, but why would you want to? What does he (or you) have to tell the other person alone that he can't tell in front of his (or your) parents? It might be nice to be alone with him, but if you are planning on marrying him (and that is the only reason you court him) you will have time to be alone with him.

Keep Blooming!

Princess Catherine WhiteRose

Practicing Patience

Thanks for letting me join as a contributer, Catherine!

My mom and I were talking about practicing being a good wife when I turned 13, and patience is a major part in a good marriage, as well as good family and sibling relationship. I already mentioned (in a comment) that dating is a bad way to practice. But what are some good ways?

Practice with your brothers.
This is very good practice, as your brothers are probably not trying to impress you with their good manners and 'angel' behavior. Next time when they aggravate you, speak to them gently and tell them how you feel about being whacked on the head with a pillow while in the middle of practicing your piano. Believe me, yelling just causes them to yell back, and then you get into an argument. My brother and I can usually get back on terms within the next hour or so, but that hour is going to be filled with bitter thoughts. And sometimes we can't reconcile. We have issues about pillow whacking today. Practice being patient with them. It will be a lot easier to learn this important lesson sooner then later.

Help your younger siblings.
Part of a marriage is children, and you definitely want to learn how to deal with children patiently before you get married. Seeing as I have plenty of younger siblings, practice sort of comes to me, not the other way 'round. My brother can't type, so sometimes I type for him. I babysit my youngest sibling when Mom goes to the grocery store, and I've even babysat all my younger siblings (believe me, they don't like burnt pizza. Whoops!)
Siblings, I can honestly say, can be quite a handful sometimes. But it's still good practice for your own children. Also, you can help out in your church nursery, or even in Vacation Bible School. And remember to get practice changing diapers. I'm still sort of squeamish, but definitely not like before. You should get as much practice as you can before you babysit. One of the first times I babysat my youngest sibling, he had a major diaper.

Be respectful to your parents.
This is one of my hardest areas--listening to authority. Your husband, when you are married, will be king of the castle, and you will be his queen. Your job is to advise and care for him, his job is to protect, lead, and care for you. It's going to be very hard to learn to respect your husband during your marriage unless you learn to respect your parents first.

There are many other tips and hints on patience out there. Some Bible verses on patience:

I Corinthians 13:4 (The whole chapter 13 is very good to read, too)

Proverbs 15:8

II Corinthians 6:3-10

I Thessalonians 5:14

Colossians 1:10-14

In Christ,

Princess Izori

Welcome Princess Izori!

We have a new author on this blog; Princess Izori!!!

Please welcome her and treat her like you would a fellow sister in Christ! :)

Princess Catherine ~*~

Now What?, Part 1

OK, if dating is dangerous, what should we do instead?

First off, let me tell you something. Dating has not been around for that long. Yep. It's true! Your great grandmother or great great grandmother would not have dated. Don't worry; dating's not the only way to get to know a boy.


Second, remember that I re-stated the question.

"If you are not planning to get married to the boy, is dating dangerous?"

Remember the answer? (if not, click here: Is Dating Dangerous? Part 2)It was YES. Why? Do you recall the princess, or (if it does not make you too hungry), the cake? (click here if you do not: Is Dating Dangerous? Part 1). Those blog posts warned you about the dangers of dating if you are not planning on marrying him. I suppose you could still date someone if you mean to marry him, but keep in mind what one of our thoughtful readers commented:

(NOTE: bold and italic were added in.)

"Excellent observations! I have something to add. I was reading an advice column a few months ago, and someone wrote in that they couldn't get over being dumped by their boyfriend. The advisor wrote back, saying that she should get used to it because breaking up is just part of dating. A lot of people defend dating by saying that the boyfriend and girlfriend are just practicing being married, so when they do marry someone, they'll have a good relationship. However, if breaking up is a part of 'practice', then they will simply be practicing how to break up. Also, when you do marry, how do you think your husband/wife will feel when you tell them that you've told someone else you loved them by dating them. That will not make for a good marriage." - Izori, a author on this blog

She made an excellent point! So, what I said before, dating is dangerous, and here is another point too; you will see the boy in a romantic light.

What do I mean by that?

Have you ever gone to a store and your mom say "Be on your best behavior. You are representing our family."? Or "Behave; first impressions are very important." or something to that effect? Well, that is also what I mean by "you will see the boy in a romantic light". The boy knows that this is a date and he is going to be on his best behavior. Naturally, he wants to impress you. And you want to impress him. Let me testify that we all have our "bad" days. We feel "under the weather" or "out of sorts"; that happens. We are humans; we are not perfect. But, to bring us back to the point, if the boy sees you only in a romantic atmosphere he will be offended or (perhaps) shocked at the way you actually act on your normal behavior. I am not criticizing your behavior, but how you act on a date is going to be different than how you act when you are not on one. And, likewise, you will be amazed at how he actually acts when he is not giving you flowers or cards or calling you "his girlfriend".

To simplify it:

Have you ever heard of rose colored glasses (I know, I always seem to go back to roses! ;)?
If not here is a picture of one:

You see how the lenses are pink? That makes it look like everything is pink and resembles the color of hearts, candy, cotton candy, and so one. Everything sweet and joyful.

To shorten the simplified version: rose colored glasses make everything look like "La La Land" ("La La Land" is a term I use to say that everything is "A-okay" or "perfect" with little rabbits jumping in a meadow while the daisies have cute baby faces and sing high-pitched songs).

How is this like dating?

Well, you see the boy like you have rose colored glasses on; sweet, perfect, and totally "La La Landish".

In short, your dream date.

But would he be your dream husband?