rebelling against low expectations
Sometimes my obedience to God comes with a side of pride. For example, if I speak graciously when angry words are at the tip of my tongue or get out of bed to spend time in the Word even when 6:30am seems much too early for anything, instead of praising God for giving me the strength to do those things, I give myself a pat on the back. Thinking this way flows so easily into comparison. As I creep...
Do you feel pressure to make up for your sin, or “clean yourself up” before coming to God? Even though you know that God’s grace is a free gift, do you sometimes feel unworthy of it? Or maybe you’re a slave to other’s opinions of you and need to be accepted in their eyes in order to feel okay. I have some news for you: you’re not good enough. And though this...
Carpe diem: Seize the day. Recently, I watched the movie Dead Poets Society and it left that phrase, Carpe Diem, bouncing around in my mind. The saying challenged me to rethink how I live, because generally, I don’t seize the day. It seemed like something I should be doing. Something that would better my life and increase my impact on the world. But I wasn’t exactly sure how to seize the day, or...
My 9th-grade high school band class had quite a variety of people. Some were dedicated to music, others only passed as musicians if you squinted a little. I like to think I fell somewhere in the middle. Despite the occasional dying-goose-like squawks, I played the clarinet decently. Not as well as the hardcore music student who sat beside me, of course. But certainly not as badly as the ‘I-only...
rebelling against low expectations
