rebelling against low expectations
“Do you ever settle?” I asked myself the question and sighed. I know I do. All the time. Why do I always settle for less than my best? Why do I always do the easy thing? Unfortunately, I like to make excuses for doing less than my best. Or maybe I do what’s required of me, but I don’t put forth full effort. “Oh well, I can do it later,” or “Let me hurry up and get it over with,” are some of my...
Dear Social Media, We have had a complicated relationship for many years. Now that I am in college, I need to reevaluate my obsession with you. You have shown me many things, both good and bad, that I never would have seen on my own. You have familiarized me with many unique lifestyles and have enabled me to travel the world without leaving my bed. You have given me wonderful acquaintances. You...
The “gig economy”–a fancy tech term for an work that promotes flexibility–is growing rapidly. Think flexible income, flexible hours, and flexible forms of expression. Some 150 million workers in North America and Western Europe have dropped the “relatively stable confines of organizational life” to become independent contractors, according to a March-April Harvard Business...
Have you ever found yourself in the middle of a conversation which you absolutely hated, only to discover it was due to the other party’s constant whining about their circumstances? Have you ever been in a decent mood and dragged yourself downward by dwelling on all the things going wrong–or at least, not going right? Have you ever heard those dreaded words from the back of a car:...
Are you struggling to fully trust God with your future? A major aspect of this is trusting him in your thought life so that you don’t entertain false imaginations about the future. What exactly do I mean by this? If you haven’t fully given your heart and life to the Lord, it can and often will affect your thoughts. A wandering heart doesn’t always stop at the red flags of bad thoughts or false...
How do you react when you hear someone talk about Bible memorization? I know for a lot of us, it’s with a vague feeling of guilt. I should probably do that. I should probably do that more. What stops us from memorizing God’s word? There are lots of reasons. I’m not good at memorizing. I can’t remember anything. I don’t have time. I’m going to do that…...
The author of Proverbs writes, “He who gathers in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame.” (Proverbs 10:5) Whether you’re a son or a daughter of the living God, resist the urge to slumber during harvest this summer. School’s Out For Summer Did you recently close the books on another school year? Well done. Graduating to the next grade is no small...
Summer is the time when I typically slip into a slump. It’s the kind of slump which makes me avoid productive tasks, watch way too many YouTube videos, and look at political commentary far too frequently. Last year, after starting my summer off by taking the SAT and ACT tests, I completely crashed. For several weeks, I sat around being an unproductive blob. This year, I feel the temptation...
In a recent article for GQ, the editors said, “We’ve been told all our lives that we can only call ourselves well-read once we’ve read the Great Books.” From there, they proceeded to call out the “Great Books” for being “really, really boring.” J.D. Salinger made the list twice, as did Ernest Hemingway. Brace yourself – Tolkien appeared too for The Lord of the Rings. It seems his meticulous...
“I should be better.” “I should know how to respond to a friend’s pain in a way that helps, instead of my clumsy efforts to be logical.” “I should have the right words and skills, instead of being surpassed by beginners in areas I constantly struggle in.” It’s not wounded pride we feel as we watch those better than us. It’s not envy. We don’t want our friends to be less than they are; we just...
rebelling against low expectations
