rebelling against low expectations
My younger brother is successful in almost everything he does. His lawn mowing business as a pre-teen. His filmmaking career as a teenager. Finding an amazing wife, he married when he was 19. His track college scholarship. The guy faces challenges and excels. He’s intelligent, athletic, and charismatic. It’s incredible. I’m proud. But also, sometimes I’m jealous. Everyone wants to hear what...
In recent years, we’ve seen a renewed cultural focus on self-worth. Mental health movements seek to address the crippling insecurities that harm people of all walks of life, and we’re constantly being told that we’re wonderful. That we’re perfect. That we’re good enough. On the surface, this seems like a good thing. Some people struggle with seeing themselves in a...
Do you feel pressure to make up for your sin, or “clean yourself up” before coming to God? Even though you know that God’s grace is a free gift, do you sometimes feel unworthy of it? Or maybe you’re a slave to other’s opinions of you and need to be accepted in their eyes in order to feel okay. I have some news for you: you’re not good enough. And though this...
Am I enough? So many teens walk around today asking themselves, “Am I enough?” The world gives us two opposite messages: They boost our self esteem and praise us for our works, looks, job, etc. They destroy our self esteem by telling us all that we aren’t. I don’t know about you, but I get sent the second one far more many times than the first. I feel that I can’t measure up, please everyone, or...
Have you ever felt worthless? Blunt, I know. But it gets to the point. I think everyone has felt this way at one time or another. I know I have. Feeling this way can really get to you. It will hang over every single thing you do, an oppressive cloud sending rain and thunder storming into your life. It saps your energy—and your happiness. It makes life… well, worthless. Let me tell you a story...
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...
I recently went to an evangelizing camp. Our church annually organizes this event where older teens can share the gospel with underprivileged children. This was my fourth camp, so I thought I had enough experience to handle pretty much anything that could happen. I was proudly convinced of my own skills. And I determined to rely on my experience and capabilities to influence “my” children. When...
Self-love. I’ve recently noticed a movement focused on this topic of “self-love.” The basic idea seems to be to encourage ourselves to take care of our bodies, to take time to exercise, or eat healthy, or relax, or whatever it may be that our body needs. Taking care of ourselves, I have no problem with. It’s good for people to see the need to care for their own body and...
I’m sitting at my laptop, waiting for the list of Bible Bee qualifiers to come out. We may have crashed the site in our haste to find out who moved on and who didn’t. All the more suspense for when we actually pass, right? It comes. My name isn’t there. My. name. is. not. on. the. list. I scan the list, thinking my eyes aren’t working. My friends are on there, practically...
“Yeah, your wounds are where the light shine through….” An excerpt from Christian band Switchfoot’s latest song, “Where the Light Shines Through”, these words reveal a truth the enemy often tries to cover. Instead of seeing the hope and possibility of the future after any wound– whether it’s when your seemingly best friend abandons you for the popular crowd, when you’re belittled by...
rebelling against low expectations
