rebelling against low expectations
There was once a boy named Joshua. Throughout his childhood he dealt with the consequences of divorce. His dad had left him when he was three, leaving his mom to raise both him and his brother while being a full-time teacher. When he was eight, Joshua’s dad came back into the picture, and the two met for the first time. He now began to live in two separate houses, traveling back and forth...
We all love a good cake –a satisfying symphony of flavors, texture, decadence, and a visual show of creativity and affection. Whether at a birthday party, baby shower, or wedding, we all look forward to that highlight moment of indulging in a slice of heavenly sweetness (for it is almost not a celebration without it). If you enjoy baking like me, you’re aware of the time and precision it takes to...
It was a fine day in Georgia. The sun was hot, the air clear, and birds chirped in the trees. Typical. But in it all was a strange sense of foreboding. What had my mother said before she and my dad left? “When we get back, we’re going to tell you news that will change your life.” Now they were back. My sisters and I were all gathered around my dad in the living room. “Daddy, what is the news?”...
There is an image that has stayed with me over the past few years. An image of a girl whose face is streaked with tears. In her hands she holds pieces of shattered glass and a tiny little arrow, all of this is red from the cuts upon her skin. It is all that is left of her compass. The girl had clutched it far too tightly within her sweaty palm, so as she stumbled on, watching for the coming dawn...
“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” Many of us are familiar with these seemingly simple words, along with the rest of Psalm 23. While they may be simple, these verses do not fall short of profound truth and encouragement. Many of my family members are farmers in Michigan. One spring morning, my mom drove my siblings and I to the Upper Peninsula to visit our uncle who raises sheep. While...
It can be very easy to stay stuck in the past especially when a past season has been very difficult. From my personal experience, I know the struggle is real. When I was in the middle of a dark time in my life, the Lord spoke to me from the song Out of Hiding by Steffany Gretzinger. I woke up one morning hearing the lyric, “Oh, as you run, what hindered love will only become part of the story.”...
“You’re strong enough to get through this.” I hear and read that comment often, and each time it makes my heart hurt. Sometimes it stops at that – a little hurt. But sometimes, in those dark moments for which “you are strong enough” is intended, it doesn’t just make my heart hurt. No, it makes it rip open and bleed. “You’re strong enough to do this. You’re strong enough for this trial. You’re...
Recently, I embarked on a new sort of journey. One I had previously never known or experienced. I began my first committed relationship for the purpose of marriage. During that relationship, I experienced such a wide spectrum of emotions and grappled with my view of myself, God, and others. As I look back over that short journey, I cannot help but see several lessons the Lord taught me along the...
My schedules and planners say I want to know my future. Don’t we all? We want to know what’s going to go on. We want to know what we are supposed to accomplish. What should I do once I graduate? What friends should I hang out with this week? Should I pursue a writing career, or an engineering one? Should I accept this job in Colorado, or move with my family to Florida? Should I begin this new...
It was supposed to be over. The hurricane of chaos that formed in 2020 was supposed to dissipate as the sun rose on January 1, 2021. It’s what the media promised. It’s what our weary hearts hoped for to the point of delusion. But it wasn’t reality. When we awoke to a new year, racism still existed in the hearts of men. COVID 19 and its variants remained a present threat. And political upheaval...
rebelling against low expectations
