One Brick at a Time: Breaking Down Wall of Bitterness and Learning to Trust God

by Elaine Oostra

One Brick at a Time is Elaine Oostra's life story. She shares her fond and sometimes humorous memories of childhood as well as the struggles and pain of growing up with a mom who suffered from mental illness. She goes in depth of what it took to overcome bitterroots. She addresses the walls we put around ourselves for protection from present or past hurts inflicted by others, or our own regrets we want to keep secret. The building material for this wall is fear. The mortar that holds the bricks into place is bitterness, guilt, and anger. There is nothing attractive about these walls, no matter how pretty we try to make them. We decorate them with pretty clothes, makeup, work, education, doing good deeds, and much more. We think no one will notice, yet our eyes, the mirrors of our hearts, reveal all in our countenances. The walls we build shut out others and God. Secrets kept buried deep inside destroy us from the inside out. We think we hide things well, yet they seep out in our actions and character and cling to us like a static dress. One Brick at a Time offers hope for those who are in bondage to bitterness and past pain and are longing to overcome and be set free. It offers hope to learn to trust God and tear down the walls one brick at a time. Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

211 pages, Paperback

Published March 11, 2016

About the author

My names is Elaine Oostra I grew up with a mother who suffered from mental illness. In the 50's to late 70's little was really known what caused this illness. This was the era I grew up in. One Brick at a Time is my life story of the struggles I personally went through trying to understand my mothers behavior and separating her from her illness that was so intertwined in my mind. I share my story of struggling with my relationship with God and my mom. Our God is a redeeming, loving and patient God! He brought healing in my life in one of the hardest times.