Student of the Word

One of my favorite go-to verses recently has been Galatians 6:4. "Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won't need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own conduct." When I'm not paying attention to the "here and now" of my own work that God has laid out for me, the only other option I can think of is to start focusing on other peoples' work. I begin comparing myself to others. Here is a silly example, but hopefully it makes my point. As a Christian, when I see someone who frequently posts bible verses on Facebook, sometimes I'm tempted to compare my spiritual walk with whoever is doing that and feel inferior to them. I don't know if anyone else thinks that way sometimes, but it happens whenever I'm not paying attention to God and the work He has for me. Instead of being encouraged by their well-intention post, I feel guilty for not p...

"We have lived in fear, and our fear has betrayed us." This is a line from one of my favorite songs by one of my favorite bands, the Oh Hellos, called "I Have Made Mistakes". Today, I want to talk about fear. In the past, I've been afraid to take risks, so I tried to avoid things I thought I couldn't be good at. I've been afraid to get hurt, so I never climbed too many trees, or tried to backflip off a trampoline! In middle school, I was afraid of not fitting in or being cool. In high school, I was afraid of AP Calculus. I know! I'm scared to even say the word. Calculus!!! Going off of that, I have to take Calc 2 in the Fall! Please keep me in your prayers. In recent months, I have struggled with fear of people's perception of me, even to a level of social anxiety.  Also, I've feared the thought of dating relationships. In fact, I've never actually had a girlfriend. I admit it! I am honestly content in being single. ...