rebelling against low expectations
I used to hate music. I never listened to it and didn’t like it when people played it around me. It wasn’t until I got older, I realized why. Music evokes and awakens emotions. Strong emotions. Often unpleasant emotions. What I really hated were emotions, not music. Looking back, I understand why. The little girl and young teenager was hurting. She felt she had to keep her emotions in check. She...
2021 was many different things for me. It was a year of many joys, yet confusion. Moving forward, yet reflection. Busyness, yet apathy. It was the year that transitioned me from high school to college. It was the year that I experienced some of my favorite memories, but also a year where I experienced much loneliness, chaos, and stress. I moved to the big city of Indianapolis in the summer of...
Winter is all well and good in December – we can dream of a white Christmas (or not, if you live closer to the equator). The chill in the air may be a reminder of hot chocolate at home and presents under the tree. But soon enough, December is past, and we face not only another year, but another few months of cold weather and gray skies. Many of us are also beginning another semester of school and...
I’ve never had a talent for playing instruments. My voice isn’t all that great. In fact, I’m one of the least musical people you’ll ever meet. However, I love listening to music. While I’m getting ready in the morning, doing homework, and driving in the car… I always have music playing. Even now, as I write this post, I’m sitting outside with music playing on my phone in the background. A couple...
Something I realized as I was listening to one of my playlists recently was that quite a few of the songs I’ve been enjoying share the common theme of storytelling or creativity in general. And not only that, a few of them are specifically about how it can relate to us as Christians in our relationship with God. So today, I want to share four songs I think will especially resonate with you if...
I used to be one of those people who looked down on people who started listening to Christmas music before December. They seemed crazy to me. But this year, I started listening to Christmas music long, long, before December. Whether it was the sentiment or novelty of Christmas getting to me, or an unspoken and thankless desire to rush through the last months of 2020, I think there’s something to...
In my last article, I shared 5 songs that have encouraged me lately. When times are tough, it’s easy to focus on our troubles instead of lifting our eyes to the Savior, who is the answer to our every problem. Music helps me to do that. Some songs really speak to my heart, and they remind me of the hope that I have in Christ. Whether I’m struggling and need to be reminded of who God is, or I...
My heart feels heavy in my chest, and my eyes fill with tears. What’s wrong with me? Why do I feel so stressed and overwhelmed? I shake my head, wishing I could shake away the anxiety. I open my laptop and head over to YouTube. I need something to calm me down. To relax the rapid beating of my heart so I can concentrate on the things I need to get done. . . For the past year or two, whether...
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...
We never wanted to live through a pandemic, but here we are. Maybe you’re annoyed or grieving because it feels like life has been cancelled. Maybe you’re genuinely afraid for yourself or others. Fear. Worry. Panic. Anger. It seems like that’s all we hear and everything that surrounds us. But right now, of all times, is when we need to be remembering truth and focusing on what is good. Maybe we...
rebelling against low expectations
