There will always be people who bring you down, and you can choose one of two responses: revenge or love. Some people say hate your enemies, but Jesus calls us to love and pray for our enemies—like He did. When Jesus was submitting Himself to die on the cross, there were people mocking Him, beating [...]

Their opinion meant the world to me. Their acceptance was what I craved. Their attention was what I longed for. I was an outsider with the popular girls. They laughed at me, not with me. They talked about me, not to me. Their rejection was the framework I built my self-worth on. I was nothing [...]

When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, the devil started by challenging Jesus's deity: “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread” (Matthew 4:3). Because Jesus is God, He could have turned the stones into bread. (And because Jesus is human, He was very hungry after not eating [...]

I started following Jesus at age thirteen, and I constantly got comments such as, “I can't believe you're so young yet have a strong faith!” And yes, those comments are lovely, but they secretly struck my nerves. They made me feel belittled. The way people said my faith inspired them was in a tone that [...]

Thoughts waging war upon this tortured soul I want to be thankful, I long to have hope But some days the darkness won't seem to end My eyes are bone dry, my faith feels thin Send forth Your truth to cut through the attack Remind me I'm Yours and I never will lack Your unfailing [...]

People can do good, but there is only one person who did good all His life, and that's Jesus. Even though He is fully God, Jesus came to live among us. He interacted and celebrated with different kinds of people, including the outcasts of society. Jesus was moved with compassion for a widow who had [...]

Have you ever found yourself desperately praying for someone in a situation that seems helpless? Perhaps it's a parent who isn't following Jesus, a sibling struggling with addiction, or a close friend who is hurting. You pray, but nothing seems to be happening, except personal exhaustion. Your hope is sapping dry. If this is you, [...]

Have you ever tried to solve a Rubik's Cube? I can't tell you how many times I've tried and failed to unscramble this complicated mess of colors. It amazes me that there are people out there who can decipher this puzzle. I once saw someone solve a Rubik's Cube in less than fifteen seconds! I [...]

In kindergarten, I owned a pair of sturdy brown shoes with thick, black shoelaces. My mom often insisted I wear them, but I hated them. I thought they were hideous and felt embarrassed to wear them. They also did not fit me well. More than once, I was enjoying the playground swings, pumping to swing [...]

CLANG! Raymnd's sword clashed against the training dummy, his flowing movements getting faster and faster. SWOOSH! Raymnd was determined to become one of the strongest, fastest knights there was. As he trained, his thoughts wandered to the king. Raymnd ached to be accepted by the ruler of Fidem, King Justain. Though he would never speak [...]