rebelling against low expectations
Every single day, Satan whispers the same lies to me. He tells me I’m ugly and I should look a different way. He says everyone looks better than me and I need to follow his agenda to look like them. He convinces me I will always struggle with an eating disorder and I should give up the fight against it. Though some people can easily fight lies about their body image, I can’t. Because of my...
It’s almost noon, and today I almost broke down twice. I’m supposed to be happy, filled with joy, but today I can’t do it. I’m utterly broken, filled with that inexplicable sadness, and I don’t want this holiday season to come. Why? Because then I have to be happy–and that’s a foreign concept. I have to set aside my sorrows and somehow find joy. This year I’m not sure that’s something I can...
“I AM WHO I AM,” he said. “Say to the people of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” (Exodus 3:14). This is the name God told his reluctant leader Moses. He went on to explain, “This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations” (v.15). This verse is rich with many truths, but one word in particular emerges for me through repeated reading: remember. Flip forward a...
It’s an unfortunate reality that our generation struggles intensely with anxiety and depression. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), 32% of teens 13-18 years old struggle with an anxiety disorder. There’s a lot we could (and should) go into here, but it makes you wonder what’s causing this and what can teens do to reverse the trend? What do happy teens do? I...
Pain is a recurring theme in my life. That statement is not meant to garner pity, nor is it meant to add shock value to this particular article. In fact, I do not even consider it worth a special or unique pity. Pain is a commonality that all humans face. It is simply a part of life. Pain has been a more prominent part of my life since 2016, when I became ill with a nervous system disorder that...
In case you haven’t heard yet, Lauren Daigle just recently dropped her full album, Look Up Child. It’s amazing. Even before she released the entire album, the singles pre-released were making significant waves within the industry as they each dropped, with the title track even making Apple Music’s coveted “World Record” playlist. Anyways, the second track on the...
Do you ever feel like you receive so much insight and depth in your relationship with God, and other times, it feels so…dry? I grew up in Southern California, so I’m quite familiar with what it’s like to go through a drought, and what it’s like when the drought ends, and rain finally comes again. I often think of my spiritual life as being like that weather…sometimes it’s really dry and hardly...
“Next episode playing in 15…14…13…” I turned my head to see my alarm clock across the room. The big red “2:00 am” glared at me through the darkness. I knew staying up late watching Netflix was a terrible habit. I knew I was gonna hate myself in the morning, but the distraction was too enticing at the moment. Besides, it wasn’t like I’d be able to sleep anyways. Tomorrow the cycle...
“Stop suffering!” reads the words emblazoned across the front of a church building not too far away from my home in L.A. I can’t say I know the people who put those words up because I’ve never even stepped foot inside the building. I don’t know what denomination the church is a part of or the heart of the people attending it. I’m sure they’re good people with love and hearts even bigger than mine...
Have you ever seen a hurricane sweep in? I have; at least, I’ve seen the remnants of one sweep in. It’s quite a sight. One moment it seems to be a normal afternoon, with an overcast sky and some wind. Next moment, the world goes dark. Life can be that way too. Everything can be okay, but then the storm comes barreling in. There’s a variety in the storms. Some of them come with...
rebelling against low expectations
