rebelling against low expectations
I can see the promised land, though there’s pain within Your plan. The opening lyrics to one of my favorite songs (Every Giant Will Fall, by Rend Collective) is a powerful message to the hope of Heaven. The promised land is ahead. Yet woven in God’s plan is something we do not enjoy–and often don’t count on–suffering. The pain of life on earth frequently overshadows the hope of Heaven in our...
We all have days when we feel like life is kicking us down and the world is throwing one too many punches. As Rebelutionaries, we want to seriously pursue the spread of the gospel and see the expansion of God’s kingdom, which means the enemy has put a very large, red target on our backs. We daily wrestle against “the world forces of this darkness” and “spiritual forces of wickedness” (Ephesians...
The cares of this temporary earth have been weighing me down, creating a burden of guilt much like the one on Pilgrim’s back in John Bunyan’s book, The Pilgrim’s Progress. I feel worn out by momentary worries that should be far from my mind… If only, we think, we could escape these trials and skip to the triumphs. If only we could be rid of that temptation, that sin struggle. If only we could...
Are you ever afraid God has abandoned you? It’s easy to fear that sometimes. When you see the depths of your own depravity and sin—when you give in to temptation again and search desperately for freedom—you wonder how God could still love you. How He could still be with you. Or maybe, for whatever reason, He just feels far away; doubts and despair come knocking on the door of your heart and...
You scroll down on your phone or computer; sickening headlines make your gut clench. Stories of war, hatred, violence, bloodshed… the list goes on and on. You click away, your head spinning. Images flood your mind, blaring article titles seared in your brain. As much as you try to drown it out—the noise, the pain, the heartache, the shattered souls–it only intensifies. Because the hard reality is...
We live in the shadows of rejected Light, Where darkness praises morning’s thief; Yet one day soon, dawn shall burn bright. We live in the lowlands of earth’s broken blight, Where death is claiming victory; We live in the shadows of rejected Light. Our souls rest trembling in the night, Our spirits bound in faint belief; Yet we know soon, dawn shall burn bright. And we deeply bear these words I...
I used to suffer from crippling fear that stole my sleep, health, and way of life. Eventually my fear became officially called anxiety disorder and OCD, but with or without a fancy label, fear was a part of my life. While much of my fear stemmed from these problems in my brain… some of it was just plain human fear. No matter which kind of fear a person faces, we all long for it to go away. Though...
In high school, I suffered from anxiety that most teenagers suffer from; how I would do on tests, if a boy liked me, or what my teachers and peers thought about my character. However, as I grew into young adulthood, this mild anxiety developed into paralyzing diagnoses. Growing up, I heard myths about mental health that miraged my view of what it meant to fight something no one could see. I...
During the holiday season, people usually start thinking about firsts. With the current year coming to a close and the new one right around the corner, thousands of enthusiasts around the world create resolutions they hope to fulfill. While making a list of things you hope to accomplish is a great idea, the amount of people who actually stick with and complete those goals is fairly thin. This...
Am I really a writer if I’m not writing? Another line marked, another due date on my calendar, but I was coming up empty. My fingers danced in the air above my keyboard without landing. I was a writer who couldn’t write. It wasn’t just that I had no ideas or no motivation. It wasn’t only the fears, doubts, and what-ifs. I was empty. I had nothing to say. During a decade of blogging, I’ve...
rebelling against low expectations
