rebelling against low expectations
Tears. Again and again. Fear. Fear that the vicious cycle will send you tumbling off your feet once more. Friendships involve edging out of the shadows and into the piercing light. Friendships involve risk. A lot of risk. Friendships sometimes tear your heart to pieces, while at other times, build you up tremendously. While they come with their fair share of pain, friendships are so worth it. But...
As an extrovert, I have been figuring out how I can still foster relationships and satisfy my urges to hang out with people while practicing social isolation. While many of us are stuck in our homes due to coronavirus, I have discovered that hearing someone’s voice is one of our most powerful tools to foster relationships, and I think we should call people more often, even when we are not in the...
Should I enter the mission field? Who should I marry? What career do I choose? The teenage years carry with them a world of daunting decisions. At times it can feel as if the rest of your life needs to be mapped out by senior year. You may frequently wonder “What is God’s will for my life?” and wish He’d reveal the answer on a flashing billboard. God’s will just...
Are you a dreamer? I’ve noticed a lot of Rebelutionaries tend to be dreamers. Crazy dreamers. We passionately come up with projects and ideas totally ridiculous for a teenager to realistically accomplish. Sometimes, we realize that reality and give up on our dreams. Yet a lot of the time—often because of our ignorance—we dive right in and go for it anyway. Sometimes we fall flat on our face. But...
Editor’s Note: We’re thrilled to welcome Gary Thomas to the Reb today! His book The Sacred Search is an excellent resource for Christ-centered relationships and choosing a spouse wisely. We highly recommend it! When Tom Cruise—playing Jerry Maguire—uttered those now famous words, “You complete me,” he was married to his second wife, Nicole Kidman. Cruise and Kidman divorced five years...
Do you have a list? You know, a list of the qualities you want in a future spouse. Some people have general lists that may or may not be written down. Others get a little more specific and put down preferred hair and eye color or even what musical instruments or sports they want their significant other to play. I once heard of a girl who had a list nine pages long, detailing everything from birth...
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...
It’s funny how we think we’re above certain things. I thought I’d have enough sense not to fall in love with an unbeliever. I hoped I’d have the emotional strength to stick to my convictions and not let a non-Christian guy mess with my mind and heart. Unfortunately my seventeen-year-old self fell (hard) for an atheist. It took over two years to realize that waiting and praying for his conversion...
I was upset. We had always been the family getting compliments, the little kids receiving smiles for our good behavior in the grocery store. Now my little brother was throwing a fit, and my mom was punishing him in public. This time we only received disapproving glances and stares. This was not the kind of attention I liked. Nobody’s perfect, but I thought we were “pretty good.” No family goes...
A couple years ago, I attended a friend’s laser tag birthday party. The venue was packed and chaotic. Over the course of playing many rounds of laser tag, I was astounded by how disrespectful most of the participants were to the employees. At the end of a round, I mentioned to one of the employees how chaotic the place was and how difficult it must be to work there. I was shocked and heartbroken...
rebelling against low expectations
