rebelling against low expectations
“I love her, but it’s not healthy for me to have that kind of negativity in my life. I have to do the right thing for myself.” “Yeah, he apologized, but I don’t think I can trust him the same way anymore.” “Can we really be friends when we don’t agree about something so important?” Proverbs 13:20 cautions, “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” We...
“Give me 110%!” the coaches yell from the sideline. It always bothers me when people say that. Though math isn’t my strong suit, 100% is complete. That’s all someone has to give. The extra 10% isn’t something people have. I mean, I understand people who say that are often just trying to be motivating, encouraging, and inspirational. I’ve also learned the hard way that even when we feel like we...
Nehemiah 8:10 tells us that “the joy of the Lord is [our] strength.” And James 1:2 says, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds.” But what exactly is the joy of the Lord? And how do we count everything joy? The Difference Between Happiness and Joy First, let’s look at the difference between happiness and joy. According to Webster’s 1828 Dictionary, happiness is “the...
If you’re a teenager, you have some big decisions coming up. Where will you go to college? What will you study in college? How will you make money? Who will you marry? What do you want to do with the rest of your life? It’s kind of overwhelming and if you’re like me, you even start to panic a bit. “Oh no! I’m already seventeen and I have no idea what I want to study in...
Do you have a younger sibling? As a middle child, I know what it’s like on both sides. To have an older sister who, more often than not, drives me crazy, and to have to deal with someone who I often wish I could knock some sense into. Since I know what it’s like on both ends of the spectrum, I wanted share one of the very important things I’ve learned. We, as big sisters and brothers, have...
To the forgotten ones. The lost ones. The ones in the back of the room. The ones faking a laugh at an inside joke they don’t get. The ones left behind. The ones not invited. I see you. To the ones who have to speak up, or they won’t be heard. The ones who have to stand out, or they won’t be seen. To the ones who have to run, or they’ll be left behind. I was you. To the new ones, stepping into an...
God got ahold of his life and he was never the same. God lit a spark in his soul, and his whole life blazed with passion for God because he knew his home wasn’t here. As he constantly said, “My home is in Heaven. I’m just traveling through this world.” He spoke to millions. Counseled US presidents. Befriended world leaders. And always his focus remained the same: the Good News. He reminded us...
I hear it all the time. “I hate to ask this, because I know there are bigger prayer requests out there,” or “I know this is really small, but…” I’ve been guilty of saying the same thing. My father recently put in for a job in Arkansas, over 600 miles from where we currently live. Thousands of emotions flickered through my mind as I processed this information. When I first heard about it, I...
Sometimes brokenness, tragedy, and suffering are just words. Empty and meaningless. Other times, they have a face and name—a heart and life behind them. On February 15th, as I drove to work, each word took on form as I heard on the radio about the horrific school shooting in Florida. Yet again, devastation and heartbreak personified. Tragedy upon tragedy heaped themselves in my mind. The...
Living the Christian life isn’t easy. When you’ve been a Christian for a short or long period of time doubts can creep in. Maybe God isn’t really there for me all the time. Maybe he doesn’t really care for me. What if God doesn’t really answer my prayers? You may have doubts just like these and others similar that can be really difficult to shut down. It’s hard to debate all the doubts that we...
rebelling against low expectations
