rebelling against low expectations
I recently experienced a truly restful Sunday. I attended Sunday school and church, ate at a favorite restaurant with my family, literally rested (aka napped), read old issues of a Christian magazine, and played tennis outside. My day felt balanced, relaxing, and restful. Sure, I watched TV, checked my email, and did other typical daily activities. But, for the most part, I felt like I was able...
Hurrying down the hallway, I bit my lip to keep from crying as I walked out of the classroom. Tears threatened to escape at any moment, but I managed to keep them from falling. Their source? I’d gotten a low score—much lower than I’d expected—on a recent test. I was not happy with God because I knew He could have intervened, yet He didn’t seem to be doing anything about it. My rebellious heart...
Every single day, Satan whispers the same lies to me. He tells me I’m ugly and I should look a different way. He says everyone looks better than me and I need to follow his agenda to look like them. He convinces me I will always struggle with an eating disorder and I should give up the fight against it. Though some people can easily fight lies about their body image, I can’t. Because of my...
I felt a twinge of jealousy crawling up my spine as I stared at the words on my computer screen. I couldn’t believe what I was reading. A friend of mine had just received her very first book contract. My heart immediately sank inside my chest. I wanted to be happy for her. I wanted to be excited. However, I was anything but excited. I was jealous, frustrated, and angry. Her accomplishment was...
With a weary heart, I picked up my Bible, my journal, and a colored gel pen to begin my day with a quiet time. Though I understood the words I read, I did not feel moved by them. They didn’t stir my heart or rouse my mind. Nothing stood out to me, and nothing seemed to apply to my life. They just felt like words on a page that told me what to do. I was experiencing yet another period of spiritual...
I avoid eye contact when possible. I would rather observe people than converse with them. I need alone time. I worry about making friends. Who am I? I’m an introvert. A “Gentle and Quiet Spirit” As an introvert, it is easy to fall into the trap of believing I naturally have “the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God” (1 Peter...
I have a great fear. I have tried to sweep it to the back of my mind, but it remains. I have a fear of falling. Not into a hole, off my bed, or down the stairs. Into sin. I’ve heard stories of churched kids gone wild and about mature Christian teens who made a single mistake that altered the course of their lives. I’m scared that I will, too. What if I end up unmarried and pregnant? What if I get...
Summer is coming to an end. The start of school is approaching fast. Stores across America are “helpfully” reminding us of that. With sales on backpacks, binders, and pencils, how could we forget? This coming school year is an important one for me because it’s my senior year of high school. I can’t believe I’m going to be a college freshman next fall. It’s unreal. I remember previous graduation...
I think we’re always going to be intimidated by someone. There’s always going to be that person who’s good at everything. There’s always going to be that person who has more talents, friends, and looks. They seem like they have it all together, but in reality, they’re a mess. When I was younger, I was extremely intimidated by the “cool” group. It was really just a group of older kids. They were...
We all have insecurities. Just because we’re Christians doesn’t mean we won’t feel insecure at times. It just isn’t a fact of reality. It’s a lie that Christians don’t feel unsure, worried, or unfit. We feel those things daily. I have a confession; I have warts. No, not two or three or even ten. Last I counted, I had about fifty warts. On my hands alone. Children have asked me numerous times what...
rebelling against low expectations
