rebelling against low expectations
When I hear the word “friends,” I usually feel pangs of hurt inside of me. Many a day I have wept painful and sometimes bitter tears in response to these hurts. I have often felt excluded, rejected, and lonely. I have been excluded because some of my friends already had their own friends, and even when I tried so hard to be there for them, I was rejected. I just wanted to have friends...
Life is hard. I’m not talking about doing hard things, I’m talking about life that’s hard. Death in the family, sickness, despair, the sin in our world that we can’t stop, but we do look to God to help us with it. But sometimes even that can be really hard. The difficulties in life can make us ask, “Why God? Why would you let this happen?” And trust me, I’ve been living with that question for a...
I turned 20 a few weeks ago, which means I’m officially no longer a teenager. In some ways, I’m glad to have those years over, but I also know that I grew a lot during that time. My teen years were a period of growth and change. It was when I realized what my shortcomings were, and how to work towards overcoming them. While I learned many valuable lessons as a teenager, three stand out: How to be...
“You don’t understand! Your life is perfect compared to mine! You wouldn’t understand.” “Ha! You think my life is perfect? Oh, no…” Comparison. That’s what it was. I was recently watching one of my favorite TV shows, and this scene eerily reminded me of a scene from my own life. I had believed someone else’s life was perfect. I complained that their life was perfect. I compared, allowing myself...
How can I share my faith while engaging in extracurricular activities? For the majority of my life, I have been blessed to participate in several extracurricular activities. Lately, I’ve been thinking about something: How can I show people the light of Christ while engaging in these activities? This is a question that should be at the forefront of every Christian’s mind. It’s so easy to get...
He crumpled to the dusty road as blow after blow landed on his back and head. Everything went black. Moments later, he felt something warm trickling down his cheek; then heard footsteps shuffling closer to where he lay. An audible gasp, and the shuffling faded off into the distance. Again, all went black. A second time he came to but instead of blows, he felt strong arms lifting him off the...
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...
When you have a four-year old brother, your entertainment options become quite narrow–and very repeated. The chosen show changes every few months, and some picks endure the repeated use better than others. The old Disney classics lie on one end of that spectrum, while most bright, loud, obnoxious toddler shows are banished to the absolute other. Fortunately for me, the current chosen show...
I used to be completely passive about witnessing to my friends. I would often shy away from witnessing opportunities and become embarrassed about my personal faith. “I’m too shy,” I would tell myself. How can I share the gospel? Thankfully, last spring God began to open my eyes through a combination of different devotionals and sermons. One day in church, we were singing “Let Your...
It started out just fine. A cast I admired, an intimate and dark setting, a sense of excitement as the audience chattered in low voices before the first act. I sat in excited anticipation. The cast was all I expected them to be– funny, engaging, perfect for their individual roles. They had the audience chuckling in the first minute. But I was surprised by the outburst of profanity as the...
rebelling against low expectations
