rebelling against low expectations
As a preteen girl, I wrote letters to my future husband. In those letters, I often wrote the words, “I am staying pure for you,” or, “I am keeping my purity to be a gift to you on our wedding day.” During my teenage years, I read a plethora of books on Christian dating that taught me to think through my purity this way. They motivated me to remain pure by promising that it would keep my wedding...
In junior high and most of high school, I was the girl who never got asked out on a date, or even asked to dance at the school dances. As I read my Christian romance books, I longed for a guy like those characters to appear in my life and sweep me off my feet. Yet each day, I watched my friends and classmates receive the attention of the guys rather than me. It starts to wear on you. As much as...
My fingers danced and hovered over the keyboard on my cell phone. I paused and picked at a loose string on my pants. His message glowed blue in front of me—begging me to answer. I ran a hand through my hair and chewed my bottom lip. Maybe… Maybe I could just ghost him. The pang of guilt immediately struck my chest with the thought. The poor guy wanted an answer, and rather than deal with the...
Growing up, my parents carted me off to youth group on a weekly basis, until my best friend learned to drive and brought me with her. Being a part of youth group also meant going to youth rallies, which I adored. Some were a day while others were over a weekend, but they all consisted of multiple teaching and preaching sessions, volunteer activities, and worship services. At each one, my heart...
Have you ever felt that fire in your chest that makes you want to yell the truth? Perhaps you just read a social media post that twisted Scripture. Maybe you heard something on a podcast that didn’t sit well with you. Or perhaps you were at youth group and someone’s answer made you cringe inside. That fire begins to burn and it’s all you can do to refrain from screaming the truth from the...
My conversion was an event I lived believing had already taken place. From going to Sunday School as a child, I perceived that I was saved solely because I was a “good girl” who did what the world considered right and said my goodnight prayers every night. Later on in life, I stood up at a Christian youth convention to profess that I was a Christian, only to realize later that that moment was...
rebelling against low expectations
