rebelling against low expectations
Our culture idolizes perfection. Walk into a library and you’ll see shelves stocked with self-help books that claim to improve your life. Scan social media on New Year’s Day and you’ll find myriads of resolutions. Shop in any mall and you’ll find perfect photos of perfect models with perfect bodies. Perfection is everywhere. As teens growing up in this society, it’s easy to become lured by the...
It’s been slightly over a year and a half since I wrote my article, “How Can I Find My Identity And Calling?” on the Reb. And that year and a half has broken and built up my faith in ways I had never seen before. Backtrack one year ago, and I was finally breaking free from a lot of abominable sin that had gripped my life for months, but had been rooted in my life for years. For about a month, I...
I love the old hymns. There is something about the deep spiritual and theological truths, and the way the lyrics and the harmonies flow, that compel me to stop whatever I’m doing at the moment and just listen. These are the old-school hymns like Amazing Grace, It Is Well with My Soul, and Great Is Thy Faithfulness. I was raised on these songs and have known them by heart since I was a young girl...
Dear Rebelutionaries, We’re taught to do hard things, step out of our comfort zones, and rebel against low expectations. We do hard things to bring glory to God. To share Jesus’ love. To honor Him by faithfully honing the talents He gave us. But I have a confession. Sometimes, I work hard to bring glory to myself. Sometimes, I think that God won’t pay attention unless I do hard things. Sometimes...
What is a man? It’s an important question, yet few seem to have an answer. Before I began researching for this article, I was pretty clueless myself. We have a general idea of what a man ought to be, but most of it is very vague and untrustworthy. You see, we face a dilemma. We’ve forgotten what it means to serve God through our manliness. We’ve lost our identity as godly men. That’s a problem...
Dear thirteen-year-old me, As you tread the cusp between girl and woman, you’ll discover that being female is anything but straightforward. God’s Word says one thing, the world screams the opposite, and your own emotions roil in a confused mess. I want to share what I’ve learned so far in life. I hope you can learn from my mistakes, and that it makes your own journey down the road of womanhood...
In philosophy, there is a phenomenon referred to as “common knowledge.” I’d like to think that the differences between guys and girls are common knowledge. However, in our culture, things that were once commonly known are becoming commonly disputed. One thing the world is trying to convince us of is that if guys and girls are really “equal”, they are also “the same.” When the fundamental...
For many teens around the world, birthdays are a special time. Family and friends gather for parties, presents are exchanged, and candles on the top of the cake are blown out to the tune of “Happy Birthday.” Birthdays are a celebration of another year of life on this earth and even offer opportunities to reflect on God’s work in one’s life. I love birthday celebrations for...
I’m sitting at my laptop, waiting for the list of Bible Bee qualifiers to come out. We may have crashed the site in our haste to find out who moved on and who didn’t. All the more suspense for when we actually pass, right? It comes. My name isn’t there. My. name. is. not. on. the. list. I scan the list, thinking my eyes aren’t working. My friends are on there, practically...
To the one who grew up in a Christian family . . . To the one who memorized chapters of the Bible . . . To the one who wears T-shirts that read “child of the King”. I am speaking to the one who never rebelled against their parents, never went partying late at night and never shoplifted. I am speaking to the Christian who grew up with a false front marked “goodness.” I am speaking to people like...
rebelling against low expectations
