rebelling against low expectations
With all the ups and downs that 2020 has brought us, sometimes it’s hard looking to the future. Many of us have a number of questions about what the next few months will look like: Will my school open? Is my job secure? Will things go back to normal? We don’t have a lot of answers to these questions right now. What can we do? Some of us default to worrying about the future, some of us distract...
Yesterday, we talked about loving who God created us to be–so today we’re digging into self-care. Just like with self-love, my initial thought was that self-care isn’t godly. It seems selfish. Doesn’t the Bible say to care for others more than yourself? To put others first? Yes, self-care can turn into sin—just like anything in this world. But it doesn’t have to. Is self-care biblical...
Self-love is a very popular topic in today’s world. Christians seemed to be divided over it—is it biblical or is it selfish? Personally, it’s something I’ve wrestled with a lot. Defining our terms. Before we get into this, I want to clarify that I’m not using the term “self-love” in quite the same way that you’re used to hearing it. In the secular world, “self-love” tends to come with pride, and...
The first time I listened to an Arcadian Wild album, I think I was cleaning a bathroom. Maybe that’s why that album (and eventually the rest of their work) became my cleaning music. When Saturday rolls around and I need to clean so I don’t drive my roommate crazy, I put on the band’s self-titled album and sing along. At the end of every break, when I have to pack up the suitcases again, the...
Cardboard boxes line my wall. They’re full of towels and clothes and shower shoes with cool little holes in the foam for drainage. Yep, if you didn’t guess already… I’m moving. Moving to college in three short weeks. And if I’m honest, I’m scared. I’m terrified of the unknown, which is only intensified by the variables COVID-19 introduced to the college situation. It’s weird enough to move to a...
In J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, Frodo doesn’t make it on his own. His journey throughout the story is a long, tough one, and he only succeeds because he shares his journey with the fellowship of the ring: the companions who stand by him, with him, and fight for him. As I read the story, one of these companions quickly became one of my favorite fictional characters: Frodo’s trusty...
Editor’s Note: Here at the Reb, we want teens to engage culture with a biblical perspective. One area of culture we all participate in is entertainment. Should Christians watch movies? How should Christians view entertainment? Can we use it for God’s glory? These are questions we believe should be considered and answered. With that in mind, the Reb will occasionally be publishing...
“You know how something in my relationship with God has been off lately?” I asked my friend over the phone. As soon as I asked the question, I heard a quiet sigh as she replied, “Yes.” I went on to tell her what I theorized the problem to be. That happened many times over the past several months, when I finally came to realize the root of it all: my passion for Jesus was gone. However, what I...
When I was a young teenager, I began to fight a battle I didn’t want anyone to know about. It was a battle I didn’t talk about for a long time. A battle that I tried to fight on my own, without anyone to help me. This was a battle against depression. We don’t talk about this battle much. Many Christians would rather fall silent on it. Because depression is the type of battle we want to pretend...
“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock.” (Isaiah 26:3-4) One of my greatest fears is the unknown. I have a strong tendency to overthink and worry about every single thing that could possibly go wrong, especially right now–when there is so much unknown! I am in a lockdown with no...
rebelling against low expectations
