rebelling against low expectations
Dear Social Media, We have had a complicated relationship for many years. Now that I am in college, I need to reevaluate my obsession with you. You have shown me many things, both good and bad, that I never would have seen on my own. You have familiarized me with many unique lifestyles and have enabled me to travel the world without leaving my bed. You have given me wonderful acquaintances. You...
Stop Striving. Just Rest. I obsess over checklists. I love New Year’s Resolutions. I revel in beating a deadline. I defend my 4.0 grade point. But all my striving often leads to let down. I am crushed when I fail to achieve my goals. I beat myself up mercilessly when I feel that I have failed. My overly intense personality manifests itself in physical symptoms. My shoulders and neck are often...
Summer is the time when I typically slip into a slump. It’s the kind of slump which makes me avoid productive tasks, watch way too many YouTube videos, and look at political commentary far too frequently. Last year, after starting my summer off by taking the SAT and ACT tests, I completely crashed. For several weeks, I sat around being an unproductive blob. This year, I feel the temptation...
Folding laundry one day, a wave of panic over my future hit me. With high school graduation fast approaching, major transitions and decisions loomed. I desperately wished I could see my future path neatly laid out in front of me. In the middle of my panic, I felt God impress upon me, “Just worry about the next step. Then once you reach that, think about the step after.” This thought stopped me...
Controlling non-productive media and entertainment, such as Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube, is obviously important. But what about technology mediums we deem necessary or important? We couldn’t possibly turn off our phones. What if someone texts us? We must have an app for our email, so we can respond immediately, right? Since I try to respond to emails promptly, I never, ever thought I...
America was built on the backs of early morning risers. Benjamin Franklin, one of America’s most influential founding fathers, famously said, “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.” For most of history, people had to rise before dawn in order to care for livestock. Without electricity, lighting by candles and lamps was both cumbersome and expensive. The lack of...
I climbed into bed Sunday night, discouraged before the week even started. The upcoming days were ripe with potential, but I was afraid of squandering them on unproductive activities. For the previous seven weeks, I had diligently chipped away at a college dual enrollment math course. The assignment deadlines had forced me to copiously manage my time. Now that the course was over, I was scared of...
Standing outside the small, white church, I watched cars loaded with eager children climb up the steep drive. I was unsure if I should be excited or scared, so I chose to be both. The sun and the anticipation already had me sweating. This is it: first mission trip experience. Both this trip and a later one would push me far outside my comfort zone, and in the process, teach me to lean on God in...
I have a crime to confess. I have been living for me. I have been living to glorify the name of Audrey instead of the name of Jesus. I have prided myself in the identity I’ve crafted instead of the identity Jesus won for me at the expense of His life. I have created the appearance of a girl who’s got it all together. But when I fail, I realize how frail this identity truly is. There’s no hope in...
Literature is rarely my favorite subject because many of the books have seemed boring and difficult to understand. They appear to bear little importance to my modern-day life. However, The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin has been different. While the writing style is antiquated, the stories and the lessons from Franklin’s life are timeless. Franklin was an outstanding printer, statesman...
rebelling against low expectations
