rebelling against low expectations
“Oh, one other thing!” I momentarily paused my pacing and tried to find the words to say. “You still think of me platonically, right?” The silence stretched way too long. “Uh oh.” I slid to the hard, cold floor. Peter and I were friends. Good friends. We encouraged and challenged each other, prayed for each other, and gave each other relationship advice about other people. “Well . . .” As Peter...
“It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.” – Albus Dumbledore “Sara, I wish that you had invited me.” We sat across from each other, afternoon light playing with the steam rising from our mugs of tea. I uncomfortably folded the tea bag tag into a tiny square. Erin and I were serving on the same ministry team, and God had been...
I can still remember the time when I lost a very close friend. I still remember the way it hurt and the way I cried into my pillow. I still remember the sadness I felt in my heart when I thought of this friendship. I can imagine you understand those feelings too. I imagine you also know what it’s like to “break up” with a close friend. While we always hear about boyfriend and girlfriend break...
It hit me like a ton of bricks. Someone had unfriended me on Facebook. My thoughts were fixated on understanding why they had deleted me. Was there something about the posts I shared that led them to remove me as a friend? Or maybe I was either too swift or slow in liking their posts for them to keep me as a friend? That’s when I realized: this person I considered a Facebook friend was only...
In the Lord of the Rings, as the journey grows increasingly dangerous, and it starts to become unclear who is truly on his side, Frodo slips on his fateful ring, running as fast as his hobbit legs can carry him, alone to the dark land of Mordor. But his faithful and devoted companion Sam eventually figures out where Frodo has gone and catches him in the nick of time—moments before Frodo sails...
In middle school and most of high school, I was the girl who sat alone—at youth group, my homeschool co-op, and pretty much any other social situation you can imagine. I felt invisible, like I could disappear, and none of my peers would notice. At the end of the day, they went home with phones full of contacts and plans for the weekend. I didn’t. But I was far from alone in my experience—61% of...
“Rachel, this is not your monkey. You cannot control what your friend does or thinks. It is not your job to fix her.” I remember clearly when my dad looked me in the eyes and reminded me of this truth. I was trying to fix my friend, and it was bringing me down. Looking back, I was trying to find the satisfaction my soul longs for in that friendship. When my friend started struggling, I...
I could argue that I have the best friends anyone could ever ask for. I’m sure that many of you could argue that as well. There’s a certain joy and hope that comes from spending time with wholesome friends, isn’t there? A part of you fills with love and plenty of laughter. The book of Proverbs talks a lot about friendship and says that “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for...
Sharing your faith with unbelievers can be intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. Here are 10 tips to begin sharing your faith with the unbelievers in your life. 1. Listen more than you talk Have you ever noticed a time when you acted like a fantastic listener, saying things like, “yeah” and “mhm” and “right!”, only to find out you didn’t hear a word that person said? As a society, we’re...
How can I encourage my peers to follow Jesus? Have you ever asked this question? I know I have. Throughout my years of following Christ, I’ve struggled with watching many of my peers slowly drift away from God. It’s hard to see friends make unwise decisions and watch them struggle in their relationship with God. It’s painful to see them leave the church. It’s lonely when your friends don’t share...
rebelling against low expectations
