rebelling against low expectations
Imagine yourself in the perfect place. You have a wonderful family, fabulous friends, a perfect house, a great town. You’re almost always happy. And then you find out you’re moving. What do you do? Hide? Run? I panic. I’m panicking right now. But that panic is helping me realize that my relationship with God isn’t as strong as I thought it was. I didn’t really trust him with my life. I always had...
Sometimes it seems as if God ignores us. As if our pleading and prayers mean nothing. As if the sleepless nights don’t count and our tears are lost in a pool of a million others. Three months ago I was there, feeling ignored by God. Trixie was a big, black and grey scruffy mixed breed. She was loyal to a fault (taking after the sheepdog in her, no doubt). You would pet her and she would burrow...
I’m afraid of vulnerability. I’ve always been the strong one. Always tried to have it all together—my actions, attitudes, emotions, circumstances: my life. I cover up my fear with excuses. It’s just my personality. With the right people—in the right circumstances, at the right time—I can be vulnerable too. People need me to be strong. I’ve even bought into the lie that I need to appear strong...
I have always found pictures to be fascinating. Perhaps everyone does to some degree. After all, just look at Instagram. More than 80 million photos are uploaded to the site every day–and each one holds some sort of significance. They all tell a story or share a memory. However, it is not what’s in the image that captivates me the most. It is the concept itself. From the beginning of our...
As part of the Great Commision and our purpose here on earth, we are commanded to be an example of Christ to others in our lives. In John 13:15, Jesus states, “For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.” Christians stand out in the darkness of the world because of our joyful attitude, hope for the future, and ability to have faith through hard times. When...
The race is set before you. At the sound of go, you’re off, sprinting down the track. The wind combs through your hair, freedom coursing through your veins. The second mile is down, two more to go. You give it all you have, quickening your speed, steadily catching up with the runner in front. Just as you begin inwardly celebrating, you notice something–your shoe lace came untied. You pause...
We’ve been given the greatest gift imaginable–the love of God. But many Christians, including myself, struggle with accepting so great a gift. We feel like we’re not good enough. Or, maybe we think we’re good enough sometimes, but after we commit certain sins, we’re unworthy for a while. That is a lie. If we’re unworthy sometimes, we’re unworthy all the time. Nothing we do could makes us...
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2) As believers in Christ, we’re called to a higher standard than this world, to live transformed by the gospel. The sad reality is that many people who call themselves Christians aren’t being...
Recently, we’ve published quite a few articles on TheReb about faithfulness in the small things. Different teen authors have tackled the idea of what it means to be faithful in the everyday services which are no less important or less glorifying to God, but can nevertheless feel mundane or even boring. You could call it a rebuke of society or culture or the unrealistic expectations placed on...
Shasta felt like he was dreaming. For as long as he could remember, he had always had an odd longing to go to the north. Beyond the small grassy hill that marked the border of his little world, curiosity called to him. He could never explain why, but he wanted to go there desperately. And now, here he was, saddling a friendly, talking horse named Bree, soon to run away with him “to Narnia and the...
rebelling against low expectations
