rebelling against low expectations
I consider myself a Lord of the Rings nerd. Well, maybe enthusiast is a better word. I don’t know about you, but I am fascinated by talking trees, tiny people with an insane amount of grit, daring escapes, fiery depths, and yes, even a wizard who whispers to moths. But I do not only love this story for these reasons (although they’re all really good reasons). I love this story because...
“God, please show me how to live with this!” Three years earlier, Jesus had captured my heart and I was excited about new opportunities he was giving me to serve him. But as my health deteriorated through the next year and a half, one thing after another was taken from my life. Now, laying bed-bound at home, sick, helpless, and grieving, I prayed for God to show me how to live with this chronic...
We sat in the dark as the stories unfolded. Story after story of individuals who followed Christ through extreme persecution played out on the screen. We saw Christians faithfully witnessing for Christ, fully aware of the severity of the consequences. They are beaten and killed. Children grow up without their fathers because they were imprisoned for the sake of Christ. They could be free from all...
Life makes two noises. The first noise is found in the gasps people take when witnessing sunrises, the applause they give after talented performances, and the melodies they make through song. This noise says, “life is good;” displaying the grand and infinite glory of God in all the world. David says, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork” (Psalm 19:1)...
I shook as the waves of grief ripped through my body. The pain of this one moment had left a scar on my heart that would last forever. My mind raced with unanswered questions. More pain. My thoughts quickly reverted to prayer. Why, God? Why now? Why this? Lord, I don’t understand. Help me to accept this. I cannot carry this burden on my own. It is too heavy… please… I beg you...
Several years ago I got sick. The thing about this sickness was that I didn’t get better. Days dragged into weeks and weeks dragged into months until the months turned into years. Still there was no sure end in sight. Some days are harder than others. My illness plays games with my brain and I start to forget things and feel like the world is closing in on me. I get confused and it is hard for me...
Joseph’s Hardships He sits alone in a prison cell. He was supposed to be freed months ago. But apparently he had been forgotten. Again. Actually, he shouldn’t have been in prison to begin with. But lies and rumors had landed him behind bars. Before this, he had worked so faithfully for his master, doing whatever he asked, going above and beyond. And yet, here he was. Actually, he shouldn’t...
I really like being in control. I always have. I enjoy knowing exactly what is happening, when it is happening, why it is happening, and how I can change it. I know everyone values different things, but I’m pretty sure most people can relate to some extent. Because of my obsessive (and often sinful) desire for control, there was one question that graced my lips more often than any other. Why...
Life is hard. Although “hard” is relative and looks different for everyone, this is an inescapable truth to which we can all relate. Pain. Depression. Grief. Heartache. Anxiety. These are just a few of the things that can knock us down, hold our attention, instill fear, and test our faith. There are real reasons to hurt. We as Christians should never minimize that. But friend, there...
Every single day, Satan whispers the same lies to me. He tells me I’m ugly and I should look a different way. He says everyone looks better than me and I need to follow his agenda to look like them. He convinces me I will always struggle with an eating disorder and I should give up the fight against it. Though some people can easily fight lies about their body image, I can’t. Because of my...
rebelling against low expectations
