rebelling against low expectations
Coronavirus. It’s going crazy. Media is flooded with it. Borders are closing. The number of deaths is rising, not to mention the thousands infected by SARS-CoV-2. Countries are closing down their schools and switching to online learning. Churches are cancelling their services. Shops are bought out. The economy is suffering. Whole regions are under quarantine. You are most probably in some way or...
There I sat. My face in my hands, and my grief cascading down between my fingers in crystal drops. My heart felt as if it was being rendered in two. I was in shock, and the full gravity had not yet completely settled within my aching soul. I kept hearing his voice, and I kept seeing his face. Deep within I felt a massive loss. This was goodbye to an amazing friend, support, and grandfather. How...
To the ones who wonder if they’re worthy of love. To the ones who must fight constant voices in their life telling them lies that wound. To the ones who have believed what was never true about their identity because of the words spoken over them. To the ones who repeat what’s been said over and over in their minds until they don’t know what’s actually true or not. To the ones who question...
2019 was rough. I don’t say that lightly. 2019 was simultaneously the best year and hardest year of my life at the same time. If you asked me to pick just one favorite memory from the year it would be impossible, because I experienced and lived so many wonderful moments. But at the same time I walked through some of the darkest valleys I have ever experienced. I had days where I sat in the...
Christmas is a joyful time of memories and laughter, but for so many others, it’s a time of deep pain and grief. What should we do when there is an empty chair at the table? What about when the laughter is so much quieter and the beloved presence is gone? What then? In August, just four months ago, my grandfather died tragically. My life was forever changed from that day on. These last few...
It’s funny how we think we’re above certain things. I thought I’d have enough sense not to fall in love with an unbeliever. I hoped I’d have the emotional strength to stick to my convictions and not let a non-Christian guy mess with my mind and heart. Unfortunately my seventeen-year-old self fell (hard) for an atheist. It took over two years to realize that waiting and praying for his conversion...
I’m sitting at my laptop, waiting for the list of Bible Bee qualifiers to come out. We may have crashed the site in our haste to find out who moved on and who didn’t. All the more suspense for when we actually pass, right? It comes. My name isn’t there. My. name. is. not. on. the. list. I scan the list, thinking my eyes aren’t working. My friends are on there, practically...
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...
When people learn my dad is in the military, one of their first questions is, “How often have you moved?” This question immediately stops me, not only because I have to count–now up to seven–but also because it brings to mind memories of every place I’ve lived. I can almost see my friends, my schools, and my homes–all left behind in places to which I’ll probably never return...
I remember watching an exchange between two children at my church once. A six year old boy had been deeply hurt by a friend’s unkindness. So he sat in the corner and started singing, “Let it Go.” All of the adults involved couldn’t help but laugh at this way of expressing emotion. The boy was upset with the situation and decided to deal with it by slowly “letting it go...
rebelling against low expectations
