rebelling against low expectations
I have yet to meet a teenager who is not (at least somewhat) intimidated by their future. As we reach the brink of adulthood, questions abound, and the future often feels uncertain. As I near the end of high school, those dreaded decisions about colleges and majors are getting closer. When explaining this feeling to friends and family, they consistently say, “Pray about it.” But, as I started...
Dear Teenager Who Doesn’t Know What To Do With Their Life, First, take a deep breath. In. Out. There you go. My heart goes out to you for the weight on your shoulders. I get it. I was on my knees this morning, asking God why. You see, I made a plan about what to do next with my life, but last night it fell through — again. I paced the living room. Tears might come later, but last night I was just...
I have a confession: I don’t think I’d ever studied the book of Revelation in its entirety. That’s why I was so excited when my Sunday school teacher announced we’d be studying it this past Summer. To be clear, I had read Revelation in bits and pieces as I studied other books of the Bible. There are passages I can nearly quote verbatim (Revelation 19:11 has always appealed to my equestrian heart)...
High school senior year might be considered the climax of adolescence. We’re teenagers, and we’re used to that now. But at this unique time in our lives, we can see a new stage of life coming at full speed: adulthood. Maybe we have a fuzzy idea of what we want the next parts of our journeys to look like, but we wonder, Am I ready for this? In addition to practical questions about colleges and...
In my world, until I was fourteen, hard things only happened to other people. People I didn’t know, except by proxy, who my family would pray for, and my parents would discuss sadly. Not my friends and family. Not me. When My Life Fell Apart I’m not talking about the everyday ups and downs life gives us. I’m talking about the heart-breaking tragedies so many of God’s children face. The deaths of...
When I graduated five years ago, I didn’t have a life plan. I remember wrestling with uncertainty, trying to figure out what was next as I attempted to answer the bombardment of What’s next? questions. I felt the suffocating pressure to have my life plan mapped out by graduation day. I’m sure many 2021 graduates can relate. In the five years since I received my diploma, I’ve experienced numerous...
it’s going to take courage to step into this new day— don’t forget, take one step at a time. you’re on the verge of life left to be lived. as the page turns to the next chapter, chase after your dreams— run. but never stop chasing after your Savior. this is both the beginning and the end— oh, how far you’ve come. don’t forget, the rest of this journey won’t be easy. but you’re no stranger to...
Graduation is a time of paradox. Beginnings and endings blend together as one life season merges into the next. Plans and dreams jumble together with uncertainty and fear. It’s saying hello to the future as we wave goodbye to the past. And honestly? As exciting as graduation is, it can also feel terrifying. Leaving the security of twelve years of grade school, always knowing vaguely what the next...
“For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.” (1 Thessalonians 4:16) Growing up, that was one of my favorite verses. To me, it was a perfect description of how incredible the moment of Jesus’ return will be for his followers. But when is Jesus coming back...
I just want to go back. I can’t tell you how many times this thought has crossed my mind lately. I want to go back three months ago and alter the course of the future. I want to go back to the me I used to be before grief pummeled my heart and hopes and dreams collapsed. I want to go back to the precious memories of lost relationships. I want to go back to a pre-pandemic world. I just want to go...
rebelling against low expectations
