rebelling against low expectations
I really like being in control. I always have. I enjoy knowing exactly what is happening, when it is happening, why it is happening, and how I can change it. I know everyone values different things, but I’m pretty sure most people can relate to some extent. Because of my obsessive (and often sinful) desire for control, there was one question that graced my lips more often than any other. Why...
I never planned on taking a gap year. I never dreamed of deviating from the four-years-of-college-right-after-high-school path. I’m the kind of person who enjoys school and accomplishing things, one of those type-A high achievers. That’s why, when I was forced to take a gap year due to health issues, I felt devastated. I went from several AP classes to a low-skill, very part time job...
My grandparent’s home is graced with clocks that provide a steady tick-tock in every room. Without fail, the stately grandfather clocks ring out a loud bong, bong, bong to mark the hour. These clocks not only create a unique ambience, they also provide a constant reminder of the time. Whether in bed, at work, or at play, the clocks’ constant presence reminds everyone in the home that the...
As teens and early twenties, it’s easy to spend our time trying to create an identity. The most common question I got as a high schooler was, “What do you want to do with your life?” In other words, how do you want to define yourself for the next forty plus years? It’s a big question and not I wasn’t the only one trying to answer it year after year. My friends were experiencing the same...
Sometimes, devotions are great. You sit down with your Bible (and coffee, if that’s your thing) as morning light filters through the window and read a few chapters or dig deep into one passage. You write out the beautiful, powerful truths you’re learning in your journal. You spend time in prayer, praising God for his goodness, overflowing with thankfulness and dependence on him. Other times, you...
I’m going to be super honest right now; being a teenager in the twenty-first century is hard. There are constant distractions around us, trying to pull our attention from the one thing we’re supposed to be keeping our eyes on. It’s so incredibly easy to get caught up with fitting in with the people at our schools, at our youth groups, and yes, even at our churches. The music we listen to, the...
Do you ever feel like you’re the only one trying to do the right thing? Maybe you’re striving for purity, but you’re easily discouraged after seeing your classmates’ seductive Instagram posts. Maybe you’re aspiring to have a cheerful attitude while you’re doing your chores, but you’re the only one that cares enough to try. Maybe you’re attempting to do your best on your math homework, but your...
What is freedom? Today, freedom is defined as: “1) The power or right to act, speak or think as one wants. 2) The state of not being imprisoned or enslaved. 3) The state of not being subject to or affected by something undesirable.” (Oxford dictionary) Is this what freedom really is? Have we gotten so far in life as to be able to call freedom ‘power’ over others? Not according to...
Your life has a story. Every choice, every step, every decision…is part of your story. It’s the story you’ll one day tell your kids, and the one you’ll eventually tell your grandchildren. It’s your life. It’s your story. Back in the days of Israel’s second king, David, a very perceptive young woman understood this truth. And her choice to act on it, is something we can all learn from, even today...
I don’t know much about politics—but I do know that the world is broken. All you have to do is turn on your TV to see it. The killings. The poverty. The latest natural disaster, or car chase, or suicide. It’s everywhere, this darkness. The pain infects our shattered world, and it scares us. It scares us to our core. The minute I try to scroll through my Facebook feed, I see them. The voices...
rebelling against low expectations
