rebelling against low expectations
People often refer to the Apostle Paul as the problematic writer in the New Testament. I’ve heard people say things like “I really like Jesus and his teachings, but what Paul wrote about women or slavery (or what-have-you) doesn’t sit with me. It seems outdated and offensive.” In reality, I’ve made similar comments myself as I wrestle with the writings of Paul. But I’ve been reading...
We’ve all been there-that one person who makes your heart feel fluttery and your face turn red. That one person you daydream about (before you catch yourself and turn your attention back to your Algebra homework). That one person who meets all of the superficial requirements on your mental future partner list. And even if you’ve decided not to date during this point in your life; and even if the...
I was the teenager reading Christian books about modesty, purity, and relationships. I often read my favorite books over and over again. I loved learning and striving to understand God’s design for my life as a Christian girl. I wore the purity ring. I read I Kissed Dating Goodbye. I saved sex for marriage. I saved my first kiss for my wedding day. I was that girl. Fast forward to today, and I...
“You’ll talk to my dad now?” I asked JP, heart pounding, palms sweaty against my sides. “You’re ready?” “Yeah, I’ve been preparing myself for this,” he said softly. A small smile played on his lips, as if he were mustering all his confidence. He had another mountain to climb, another step to claim this relationship as ours. “I knew I’d have to do this sooner or later.” For a split second, the...
Do you ever wonder why there’s so much drama surrounding relationships? Ever since the days of Adam and Eve, people have managed to fall in love, marry, and make things work. It shouldn’t be that complicated, right? After all, God knows who we’re supposed to marry. Can’t he work out all the logistics? Nevertheless, in the “crushing” stage of relationships, we tend to do dumb stuff that causes...
With Valentine’s Day coming up, we usually see cards, candy, and red and pink hearts everywhere–all representing this thing called love. But what is love? Google defines love as “an intense feeling of deep affection.” That’s a powerful description, isn’t it? However, Valentine’s Day celebrates romantic love, and many of us teens don’t have a boyfriend or girlfriend at this stage of our...
The night of the last presidential election, I made a poor decision. I looked at Twitter. My feed was full of tweets and retweets rejoicing, mourning, celebrating, or decrying the situation as it unfolded, minute by minute. Praise and blame was heaped on both of the major candidates—and on their supporters. My birthday came just a year too late for me to vote in the presidential election. As I...
I’ll never forget the first time a guy asked me out. Well, at least I think he was asking me out. One mid-summer afternoon, he walked into the office where I worked. After a few minutes of small-talk, plus scheduling an appointment, he leaned against the door, quirked a brow, and remarked, “Man, that Chinese food across the street smells good.” I inhaled. I couldn’t smell a thing. “Would you like...
“Guess who contacted me…again?” My friend showed me her phone screen. I peered at the message. “Oh no. Not again. Really?” For over a year, a young man my friend knew had been randomly Facebook messaging her. At first she thought he might be interested in her, but after sporadic, odd messages with no seeming purpose to them, she was beginning to think he was just weird. Or really, really lonely...
“She’s been single for eighteen years,” My coworker said with awe in his voice to the girl folding clothes beside him. I braced myself. I had been waved over from my post in the fitting room to join a conversation two of my coworkers were having about dating. Usually, I could handle the frequent comments about my lack of experience with love in good humor. Tonight was just not one of those nights...
rebelling against low expectations
