rebelling against low expectations
Growing up, my father was never physically absent. I never wondered if he would come home at night. But throughout my childhood, he was mentally and spiritually absent. As a child, I felt his absence deeply. I longed for a relationship with him. I lived to please him. When he was home, I followed him around like a puppy dog. I waited desperately for the day he would finally finish all the things...
Editor’s Note: Throughout the years, TheReb has published thousands of articles, each challenging and encouraging Rebelutionaries to do hard things and seek God. But among these posts, some have especially resonated with you, our readers. So over the next few weeks and months, we’re bringing back these classics, reposting our most popular and well-read articles every Thursday. May they encourage...
It was a beautiful Sunday morning. Light streamed in through the windows, making the cozy, family-like atmosphere of the little church even more inviting. As the pastor began speaking, the congregation leaned in, eager to hear his message. Suddenly, loud sobbing disrupted the service. Everyone turned to see who was crying. A little boy with Down syndrome, a boy who was usually happy and friendly...
Editor’s Note: Throughout the years, TheReb has published thousands of articles, each challenging and encouraging Rebelutionaries to do hard things and seek God. But among these posts, some have especially resonated with you, our readers. So over the next few weeks and months, we’re bringing back these classics, reposting our most popular and well-read articles every Thursday. May they encourage...
Editor’s Note: This article is spoiler-free for Avengers: Endgame, but contains spoilers for God’s endgame. You wouldn’t think a purple super-villain could teach you a lesson about God. Yet that’s the effect Thanos had on me. Like many people, I was intrigued by the antagonist from Marvel’s Infinity War. The premise of the film is that the universe will run out of sustainable...
She sat across from me, clutching the coffee mug tightly in her hands. This was supposed to be a normal conversation in a café, yet quickly became anything but. As her words and then tears began to trickle and then gush out, I quickly came to sit beside her, letting the torrential rain of hurt and grief flow out. When the storm had slowed, she looked at me with broken eyes. Her hurt is not mine...
I was an atheist. This is my story. Angry, Uncertain, and Insecure Junior year of high school. I’m an ardent atheist–but not a satisfied one. Having walked away from the church years earlier, I had embroiled myself in an eating disorder, and struggled deeply with self-image, destructive thoughts, and obsession with food. I had gone through an unhealthy attachment that shattered my values...
There are two things that seem to fly out of everyone’s mouths when they hear that you’re struggling–read the Bible and pray. Surely those are the most obvious answers, and they’re genuinely the best suggestions. Right? But for some reason, those answers can still feel empty. They can still feel hollow. How will reading a book, or talking to someone that I can’t hear help me with this...
Hurrying down the hallway, I bit my lip to keep from crying as I walked out of the classroom. Tears threatened to escape at any moment, but I managed to keep them from falling. Their source? I’d gotten a low score—much lower than I’d expected—on a recent test. I was not happy with God because I knew He could have intervened, yet He didn’t seem to be doing anything about it. My rebellious heart...
You are far too content! Yes. You read that right. You are too content. You need to become dis-content. You need to become hungry for more. Until you do so, you will be virtually useless to the kingdom of God. Don’t Be Content With Simple Scales As a child, I took piano lessons. I learned to play scales and simple songs and hated it all. I hated it because none of it sounded good. I heard...
rebelling against low expectations
