rebelling against low expectations
When we were younger, my sister would copy various poems and quotes and pin them on a cork board in our room. I remember one quote in particular that read, “love is a choice, not a feeling”. Those words stuck with me and left me wondering if love really could be a choice. At the time I didn’t think so. The love I knew was very emotional and very conditional. It was always, “I love you if__.” In...
“Jesus, I love You…but I’m tired,” Dad sighed, leaning against his headrest, as we sat in our Landcruiser about to head into town. I bit back a smile at the words, so simple, yet so raw and real and honest. We were preparing to run some errands, and already the day had been full of everyday, unpredictable, West-African adventures. The power had gone out not once, not twice, but three times. We...
In a 24/7 world, it can be easy to overlook rest. We are constantly encouraged to multitask, consume large amounts of caffeine to maximize our buzz time, and calculate how to manipulate our circadian rhythm so we can give ourselves more hours each day to work. Even we, as Christians, get caught up in the world’s idea that we should always be working, and rest is a burden, not a blessing. But, are...
Suddenly, I was wide awake. I stared at my bedroom clock. 1:30 AM. Again?! I had fallen asleep just two hours ago, and now I was wide awake. Was my body playing a cruel joke on me? I lay awake for hours, finally dozing off for a little bit before I had to get up at 6 am to get ready for work. As I dragged myself through my day, I desperately hoped that my struggle with insomnia would end soon...
I recently experienced a truly restful Sunday. I attended Sunday school and church, ate at a favorite restaurant with my family, literally rested (aka napped), read old issues of a Christian magazine, and played tennis outside. My day felt balanced, relaxing, and restful. Sure, I watched TV, checked my email, and did other typical daily activities. But, for the most part, I felt like I was able...
At the end of my 9th grade year, I was crushed. Not only was I busy staying caught up on homework and studying, but I also had started intense basketball training in the sixth grade. Homework, studying, and basketball consumed my free time. Overtime, the continual grind zapped my motivation and energy. Eventually, I became overwhelmed. Gradually, I entered into a struggle against excessive...
The “gig economy”–a fancy tech term for an work that promotes flexibility–is growing rapidly. Think flexible income, flexible hours, and flexible forms of expression. Some 150 million workers in North America and Western Europe have dropped the “relatively stable confines of organizational life” to become independent contractors, according to a March-April Harvard Business...
rebelling against low expectations
