rebelling against low expectations
From my childhood to my late twenties, there is scarcely anything more magical to look forward to than Christmas. Nostalgia is a precious thing. Sights, smells, and sounds all take us back to a place where we were warm, happy, safe. For me the embodiment of that contented state goes back to the holidays. I’ll never forget when the magic of Christmas was especially strong for me growing up in...
This year has been marked with a significant amount of waiting in my life. In January, I began the process of applying for an awesome opportunity—but along with it came paperwork, interview calls, reading, appointments, and emails. I did not have a solid “yes” or “no” for months. My anxiety escalated as so much hung in the balance. It was not easy. Eventually, God allowed...
Christmas has always been the highest on my list of favorite holidays. It’s a magical time of year. The glowing lights, gift wrapping, shopping, classic movies, hot chocolate, cozy winter pajamas, family traditions, and special baking leave a sense of ready cheer and lightheartedness that is hard to “muster up” at other times of the year. These aspects of Christmas are nice; however, I began...
Some holidays come with baggage. As they approach, dread can build. Such is the case with me when Father’s Day arrives in June. There’s this awkwardness of picking out a card that expresses truthfully how you view your dad. What if he hasn’t been “The World’s Greatest Dad”? How does one even celebrate with a genuine heart that has been hit hard with fatherhood...
On April 24th it dawned on me—I was already halfway through my 25th year. Time slips by all too lightning fast. I felt the ache of wishing my life were different, the pressure to “catch up” with cultural expectations of where everyone my age should typically be. Where was I really? No boyfriend or husband. No college degree. No babies. Yet, I have traces of those things. I’m currently using a...
As Valentine’s Day approached one year, God moved my heart. I desired a boyfriend and romance—what I got instead was a taste of eternal, everlasting love. Halfway around the world in the African country of Uganda, there were imprisoned children who needed hope and a ministry called Sixty Feet with a heart to serve them. This birthed a project called, “The Valentine Card...
One windy, chilly night in November as my dad worked on our cars in the driveway, we reminisced about Christmas memories. I talked fondly about three things I loved as a child: Fresh Christmas trees, cutting sugar cookies into festive shapes, then baking and decorating them with red and green sugar crystals, plus a cake to celebrate Jesus’ birthday complete with candles, if I remember right. My...
On August 8th, 2021, around nine in the evening, I received the call I had been dreading. My mom’s voice was shaky and quiet at the other end as she broke the news. Mema was gone. Our family had been waiting for her to pass away—we knew the end was near—for eight days. We said our goodbyes during visits to the hospice house where she was staying. My grief is still raw. It hurts to think about her...
Having a legalistic background growing up, I experienced family devotions as being forced and stale. They were a chore. When it came to my own pursuit of God, I struggled then and now to this day. However, there is one habit that has been like a breath of fresh air. Gratitude. Gratitude has been an incredible encouragement to me. It is a practice that matters every day, not just in November for...
Sometimes we go through seasons when doing hard things is invisible to those around us—it’s inward. Perhaps it looks bleak, even. Like a winter with cold, hard ground where growth seems impossible. Yet, gradually, spring comes and earth softens and seeds take root. Growth happens underneath the ground—buried and invisible to the naked eye. I’ve found this to be true because my life hasn’t...
rebelling against low expectations
