rebelling against low expectations
“So, what do you want to do after high school?” I asked my co-worker as we sat at the edge of the courtyard, our backs against the cold concrete wall. It was a hot summer day and cooling off in the shade was the perfect thing to do after a Wednesday at day camp. The last few children that hadn’t been picked up yet scampered around, playing four square or catch. “Well,” she said, “I want to be a...
In my previous article, I talked about Third Culture Kids (TCKs) and their crazy, cross-cultural, and highly mobile lives. I also wrote about why understanding TCKs and being a friend to them is significant. But how can one be a good friend to a TCK… someone who struggles with maintaining deep friendships? How can one be a friend to someone so different? Here are nine ways to be a friend to a TCK...
“Hi, nice to meet you!” “Pleased to meet you too.” “Where are you from?” That question is easy to answer for most people. However, it isn’t for me because I’m a Third Culture Kid (TCK). What is a Third Culture Kid? Here’s the definition according to Van Reken and Pollock, two leaders in the field of studying children in cross-cultural...
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...
Am I enough? So many teens walk around today asking themselves, “Am I enough?” The world gives us two opposite messages: They boost our self esteem and praise us for our works, looks, job, etc. They destroy our self esteem by telling us all that we aren’t. I don’t know about you, but I get sent the second one far more many times than the first. I feel that I can’t measure up, please everyone, or...
Have you ever felt worthless? Blunt, I know. But it gets to the point. I think everyone has felt this way at one time or another. I know I have. Feeling this way can really get to you. It will hang over every single thing you do, an oppressive cloud sending rain and thunder storming into your life. It saps your energy—and your happiness. It makes life… well, worthless. Let me tell you a story...
“The only absolute knowledge attainable by man is that life is meaningless.” This was the famed 20th Century Russian author Leo Tolstoy’s pessimistic outlook on life, and it is shared by many individuals today. Tolstoy felt life was meaningless because he rejected faith in God. But even Christians can sympathize with the feeling. Have you ever felt life was meaningless? One of the wisest and...
The letter you are about to read was written out of the deep desire of my heart to start living a life that loved like Christ loved. A few months ago, I was holding on to my own plans, hopes, and wants so tightly that I was hurting people close to me. However, God in His grace got a hold of my heart and something in me changed. As I started asking Him to help me, He started filling me with a...
To the ones who wonder if they’re worthy of love. To the ones who must fight constant voices in their life telling them lies that wound. To the ones who have believed what was never true about their identity because of the words spoken over them. To the ones who repeat what’s been said over and over in their minds until they don’t know what’s actually true or not. To the ones who question...
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...
rebelling against low expectations
