rebelling against low expectations
Knowledge is a great place to start in uncovering the gems of Scripture, but knowledge alone isn’t particularly helpful. Alone, it tends to cause us to feel smart, which can lead to arrogance or pride. Rather, we need to sift through the dirt to find the gems of understanding. So here we move from knowing the facts of the passage to comprehending what those facts actually mean. You may know that...
The Bible can be a little daunting to study. First, there’s all those pages, well into the hundreds in many versions. Then you have those unpronounceable names that seem to come from the latest fantasy novel. And have you read some of the stuff this book contains? Wheels covered in eyes (Ezekiel 10:12). Belly fat oozing over sword hilts (Judges 3:22). Prophets walking around naked (Isaiah 20:2-4)...
Most of you probably know the hymn, “Turn Your Eyes upon Jesus.” Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face And the things of this world will grow strangely dim In the light of His glory and grace. Often, we sing hymns and read verses, but don’t grasp their magnitude and significance. The words of this hymn recently hit me. If you are fixing your gaze on Jesus, all the things of...
I’m Alycia, and I’m a recovering perfectionist. For years, I struggled to connect with people because perfectionism controlled my life. I was constantly working, stressed about the size of my to-do list and the fleeting hours of my day. Desperate for respite, I tried therapy, journaling, reading my Bible, taking long walks, anything I could think of. But they only provided temporary relief. I...
“I am so glad you will be able to have the ‘college experience’,” a couple of people have told me recently, when hearing of my plans to move out of state to attend college. After spending almost two years taking online college classes and living with my parents after high school, many are thrilled that I will finally have the “college experience” and get out on my own. But the concept of the...
What is the most daunting thing that Christians are called to do? Love their enemies and pray for those who persecute them? Turn the other cheek? Speak for those who can’t speak for themselves? I would say that, for me and many fellow Christians, the scariest thing we are called to do is evangelize. We are called to share our faith. It’s frightening to stick your neck out there and share the...
What do you want to accomplish in your lifetime? Pause for a moment and think it through. Maybe you thought, “Not that much,” or “I want to do a lot, but I don’t think I’ll actually be able to.” Very few will confidently think, “I’m going to do great things.” While we need to cultivate humility, and while we should seek to be openhanded with...
What is your identity? Are you a soccer player, a student, a sibling? Maybe you’re a writer, a daughter, or a friend? Somewhere in the process of defining our identity, most of us would answer that we are a child of God. This is the most important part of our identity, yet we often don’t grasp the full power of that label. All our other labels will fade away—one day, we will no longer play sports...
There are so many sources of worry and anxiety in our lives –auditions, interviews, school, sports games, moving, and more. Chances are, when things make your life harder, making you worried or sad, you go to your friends or family to talk about it with them. I completely understand your reasoning for this. I mean, my friends are often in the same situation as me, so they’re the ones who can...
“You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.” – Exodus 20:7 Most people interpret the third commandment as “don’t use God’s name as a cuss word.” But “taking the Lord’s name in vain” refers to any use that is irreverent or “empty,” if you look at the original Hebrew. With this in mind, consider the widespread...
rebelling against low expectations
