My brother is like a farmer.

A verse I stumbled upon as I looked through old journals read:

"Be patient then brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. you too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near. Don't grumble against each other, brothers or you will be judged. The judge is standing at the door. Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. you have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord has finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy" (James 5:7-11)


Reading this verse, I know exactly why I had it written down on the index card.... patience has always been one area I consistently battle in. And it appears this is still true today as it strikes a convicting note down in the melody of my heart. Being in any type of ministry as your job, there will no doubt be tests of patience and perseverance during seasons of suffering. I find myself in the trenches of this war. The past week, I've faced several attacks from the enemy line, but the Father has been gracious enough to put men and women in my life whom I look up to and draw strength from as they reassure me they are knee-deep in the mud next to me and watching my back. Community is important for the seasons when we're on the defensive in the trenches to be successful like Job and his perseverance.

One particular person that I've never dedicated an entry to yet, (and most likely will kill me b/c he hates attention on him) is my brother. The verses above remind me of the man God has shaped him to be. I'm not sure if it's partly growing up playing the sport of baseball (because I feel most baseball players I've encountered resemble this in some way), but he is a patient man who perseveres the seasons of life well. For most people who have spent any good amount of time around me, my affection and admiration of my brother is very obvious. Many people know that my standards for guys I would consider dating are as high as they are, because of my brother. Some of these people question it, and some might think our relationship is odd, but hopefully this post speaks my heart on the subject of the wonderful brother God gave me 21 years ago.

My brother is younger than me, and yet we're at the point in our lives where we have become adults. We're independent, and developing the type of people we'll be known for being. As I spent a good amount of time with him over Christmas break, I began to get a deeper glimpse of his heart as a man of God; not just a boy. Witnessing and seeing these changes in him, I began to realize he may be younger but there's a heck of a lot I can learn from him. So I began to analyze deeper the things I might learn. Previously mentioned, I believe the verses above summarize part of how he might teach me. A small scale of how this verse applies to our lives is driving. In the fall, I was up in Tucson, and my brother was driving us to the movies. I've not quite figured out how, but he is by far the MOST patient driver I've ever known. I'm an anxious driver- eager to get to my destination and unfortunately it reflects in my positioning of the car down the roads as well as my encounters with other drivers. Not Bran- he is just mellow, cruising along as if he's got all the time in the world to get to where he's going.

When this small realization dawned on me back in the fall, I have been acutely aware of my driving habits. My poor driving habits are analogous to how I often times approach and handle life. I'm an "eager beaver" who is anxious to get to my destinations- ready and always looking forward to the next season God will bring. While also maintaining a rather consistent effort on my part to worry much about the little things in my life. I nearly almost always forget to "be". The state of being is foreign to me. "Be still and know that I am God" has (and probably will always be) my worst enemy of scripture because it's so difficult for my nature to just exist. I'm quick to dodge in and out of things, loving change, reacting to others and circumstances in my life more dramatically than need be. And just as my driving is similar to how I approach life, my brother's driving is a reflection of his approach to life.

He is in cruise control. He is steady, and content at the speed limit. He has this God-given ability to "be" and enjoy the season he is in. While by no means is he perfect in this area of his life, I do believe it is one area that speaks volumes to me as his worrier older sister. His game of baseball mirrors his steady and patient approach to life. As many of you know, he plays for the University of Arizona. He is a junior there, who earned a scholarship, but had to battle and work through some difficult seasons to be the player he wanted to be. As a freshman, he played in a few games, but definitely found himself needing some extra work and attention to get to where he hoped to be by his Junior year. And sophomore year, he started out the season with a starting position, only to have his offensive skills see a season of drought that eventually led him to lose that starting position. However, he played in almost every game coming in halfway through as a defensive player, and this led to him hitting the winning hit in the College World Series that clenched the title for them in 2012. He has battled. And finally, his junior season is here, and every extra effort, bead of sweat, time with hitting coaches and attitude of determination has seen him through the "autumn and spring rains" and into a season yielding good crops. He was a patient farmer as the scripture above points out. He battled through, and is now having the season he was meant to have all along. And I can't make any calls about how the rest of the season will go for him because it is just the beginning.... but I do know with complete confidence that while I was in China last year during his struggling sophomore season, spending time on my knees for him begging God to bless him in his favorite sport, I was constantly given a vision of a farmer waiting on rain for the season's crops to grow. And the Lord assured me that he would bring the rain, and when it would rain, it would pour- and Brandon was supposed to prepare for the rain. As a patient and perseverant man, Brandon did exactly that the past two years. He has been preparing for the rain, and this year, the Lord is bringing the rain.

Now baseball isn't the only thing in life that matters, but right now, that is exactly the platform God has asked my brother to stand on when it comes to living out his faith that others might see and be encouraged. I'm one of many who has been challenged by the way he's chosen to live his life. Watching him grow from a competitive pesky brother into a generous, loving and kind man who loves God, has been a true joy and honor. He is a very patient man that knows the sweet tasting reward of a hard earned labor, and I want to live my life like him. I want to approach my job, my dreams, and those around me with the same loving, patient, perseverance that he does. He's by no means perfect, but his life has always been marked vividly by his actions over his words. I have much to learn about quieting my vocals and amping up my actions. I'm excited to: continue to learn from my baby brother as he grows, watch his baseball career unfold as God would have it, who he'll marry, and how he'll raise his sons and daughters. I look forward to finding a man who I admire and whose way of life speaks as loudly of Jesus Christ as my brother's does. Having men and women of faith around you puts into perspective the nature of God and the dynamic of which he's built us- his bride.


And for those who question my high standards when it comes to dating... perhaps now you know... when you see examples of men after God's own heart- you can't help but expect the same when it comes to entrusting your own. Men be encouraged not intimidated by women's standards of godlineness... we hope you would ask the same of us.

Thank you Father for the brother you've given me, for his strong faith in you, and the gift of baseball he thoroughly enjoys.