rebelling against low expectations
From my childhood to my late twenties, there is scarcely anything more magical to look forward to than Christmas. Nostalgia is a precious thing. Sights, smells, and sounds all take us back to a place where we were warm, happy, safe. For me the embodiment of that contented state goes back to the holidays. I’ll never forget when the magic of Christmas was especially strong for me growing up in...
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! I groan and fumble in the dark to find my phone. I squint to make out the time. 6:30a.m. I wriggle out of bed and begin getting ready for school. The next thirty minutes are a blur. I finally make it to the car with my breakfast in one hand and my Spanish flashcards in the other. The school day passes by uneventfully. Classes, tests, quizzes, and lunch just like every other day...
Your head rests on your desk. Bags under your eyes indicate lack of sleep. Tears spill out of your closed eyelids, and for a moment, all you can think about is your exhaustion. You’re so tired you can barely function. Whether it’s due to stress, anxiety, or illness, exhaustion is a heavy enemy. We fight it, but eventually, it overtakes us, hurting us and the people in our lives. Your life is so...
Several weeks ago, I awoke from a fuzzy dream only able to recall the last several moments. I remember looking at a large tree, knowing it was full of caterpillars who should have formed into butterflies long ago but stubbornly refused to do so. Why the delay? I expressed my confusion to a young woman beside me, “Why aren’t they changing?” The moment hung in silence before she answered with a...
Recently, I participated in a play with my classmates. The theme was the relationship between God and humans. I played the part of an average human. In the play, the human is lying on the couch when their phone dings. There are two notifications, one from God, and one from their friends. Do you know what they did? The human ignores God’s invitation to be together, and instead, goes to their...
For as long as I can remember, spending time alone with God has been part of my day. After my family gathered for our prayer and Bible study in the morning, we would each go off and have our personal time with God. When I was younger, I loved this time. I thoroughly enjoyed reading my devotional and working on memory scriptures. Then, I got older… and busier. School intensified. I joined a...
rebelling against low expectations
