rebelling against low expectations
“I promise I’m yours… I promise I’ll love you forever and ever and always… to the end of time, I won’t change my mind…” (“Forever and Ever and Always” by Ryan Mack) Staring out the window of the airplane, the words of the love song stabbed me. No one can truly promise me “forever.” Tears springing into my eyes, I remembered the exception to that statement. Jesus… People will leave you...
True worth is in being, not seeming,— In doing, each day that goes by, Some little good—not in dreaming Of great things to do by and by. For whatever men say in their blindness, And spite of the fancies of youth, There’s nothing so kingly as kindness, And nothing so royal as truth. -Alice Cary “I just want to make a difference.” My friend and I were deep in conversation. As we talked about our...
This pandemic severed our social lives, and many teens are turning to social media to fill some emptiness. As we scroll through happy pictures, jealousy creeps into our minds before we can stop it. Looking at huge successes of other bloggers can turn my happy attitude into discouragement as I look at my blog stats. God blessed me with so much, but if I’m honest, I find comparison and covetousness...
“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31). When you do something, who’s getting the glory? When people watch your actions and listen to your words, is their admiration directed towards you or to your Heavenly Father? “All the glory to God.” I speak, read, and pray these words often. Since God has saved us, what can...
I was upset. We had always been the family getting compliments, the little kids receiving smiles for our good behavior in the grocery store. Now my little brother was throwing a fit, and my mom was punishing him in public. This time we only received disapproving glances and stares. This was not the kind of attention I liked. Nobody’s perfect, but I thought we were “pretty good.” No family goes...
“Dear God, help me keep this attitude. I’m not feeling this way on my own.” I was sitting in the car and turning over the question in my head: How do I balance romantic dreams with contentment in God’s will? I was not thinking of a specific relationship, but in that moment I decided, nonetheless, that I would be content with whatever God had for me in the future. Yes, I was only a young...
My feet pounded the track, and I was out of breath. I was struggling, pushing hard…and then someone lapped me. Track is hard. I’ll be honest with you and tell you I was not a runner when I joined the middle school track team last spring. I got 16th place in a mile race with only 16 runners, and I was lapped quite often. I tried hard, but I was frequently discouraged. Still, I’m thankful...
rebelling against low expectations
