Roses of Grace

( Note: There's an important announcement at the end of this post, so make sure to read to the end!) Do you like your testimony? Maybe you don't. Maybe you think it's boring—powerful, maybe, and true, but basic. Boring. And if it's important, it's only important to you. Or maybe you're thinking that all testimonies are valuable, regardless of how "boring" they are. And you're right! But you still think that you'd have more to talk about if you had a more interesting life. People would listen to you more than they currently do.  In short, you feel like what you have to say isn't important.  This isn't just about your testimony. It's a symptom of a larger problem: you don't think your story matters, you think you don't have anything to say. Maybe you get nervous when anyone asks you for advice because you don't think you're wise enough. Maybe you don't share the Gospel in conversations because you feel like your ...

What's the most important question you'll ever answer?  Some options might come to mind. "Where should I go to college?" "What career should I pick?" Or maybe you even think of, "will you marry me?"  But no. Those things aren't a matter of life or death.  The most important question you'll ever answer is the question Jesus asks his disciples in Matthew 16:15: "Who do you say that I am?"  It's impossible to overstate the importance of this question. This is a matter of life or death—Jesus's identity is of cosmic importance.  Why is it so important? Because your answer will show your heart.  Do you really believe the truth? Then you have eternal life, joy, and peace.  But if you don't, your heart is still dead in your trespasses and sins. (Ephesians 2:1) Who do you say that Jesus is?   A Good Teacher The Bible is like a self-help book—a really good one. There's good stuff in there. We can pick and choose what to agr...

Happy Valentine's Day! Everyone lives in community. And so, relationships are something that everyone deals with—except for hermits and astronauts, and I sincerely doubt you're one of those. So everyone deals with the ups and downs of being in community.  And American culture places a heavy focus on romantic relationships in particular. According to one article from Forbes , Americans typically spend over $20 billion in total for Valentine's Day. That's a lot!  Even for those of us who don't date, relationships can take the top priority. Friendships give us the pleasant feeling of being admired, and we love connecting with like-minded people.  And that's great. But sometimes I wonder if we take it too far. There's nothing inherently wrong with these relationships. They can be a blessing. But it's also easy to let them become too important in your life. It's easy to let them become an idol. What defines you? Is it your earthly relationships with your...

  There are a lot of popular sayings floating around—phrases that people reach for when they're searching for something encouraging to say. I'm sure you know what I mean. Phrases like "you are loved," "you are unique," "you are powerful." "You can do anything." "You are strong."  Those phrases tend to bug me. Part of me rebels against them: they're oversimplifications! That's not how life works! You can't just say the magic words to make everything better! The thing is, they're not all wrong. But I think it's our responsibility as Christians—Christians who are told to "rightly handle the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15)—to be careful with our words. And part of caring about truth means looking beyond the surface-level meaning of our words, and seeking to understand, Biblically, what is true.  So, here are four popular sayings, and the Biblical perspective about them!    #1: You are perfect the way th...

What do you want to accomplish in your lifetime?   Pause for a moment and think it through.   Maybe you thought, "Not that much," or "I want to do a lot, but I don't think I'll actually be able to." Very few will confidently think, "I'm going to do great things."   While we need to cultivate humility, and while we should seek to be openhanded with our futures, the mindset that we shouldn’t expect to accomplish great things for God’s glory isn't good. So many teens and young adults automatically assume that their lives won't be noteworthy. They won't be doing the amazing things that end up in history books. Other people will, but not them. They'll just settle for average.   It's a mindset of low expectations, but not low expectations from other people—these low expectations come from us.   Should we be fine with being an "average" Christian? Should we expect to do great things, or should we content ourselves with ...

I don't like waiting.  Can you relate? You probably can—we humans have an acute sense of what we want, and we don't like having to wait to get it.  As I write this, I'm a senior in high school. I'm at that weird transition stage where I don't really know what my future's going to look like, but there's nothing I can do about it right now—all I can do is wait for information from the colleges I applied to. I can't make my own decisions yet.  Isaiah 40:31 says that "those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength." I'm waiting on the Lord pretty literally when it comes to college—but I'm also waiting on the Lord for other things.  I'm waiting for him to act in specific ways in specific areas. For people I've been praying for to be saved. For mental struggles I've been praying to conquer. For life events that haven't happened yet, even though I wish they had. For strength in certain areas I'm lacking in.  But I...

"I want to be more productive." How many of you have said that to yourself recently? Did you realize how much time you wasted over Christmas break? Or did you make a New Year's resolution to work harder and stop wasting time? I'm sure that for at least some of you, the answer is "yes." Productivity is something that many of us struggle with, especially as we grow and take on more responsibilities. Schoolwork, extracurriculars, a job... all these things take work, and it's important that we learn how to deal with them.    I'm partnering with several other bloggers to discuss productivity—the dos and don'ts, setting goals, staying organized, and many other things we've learned.  Links to the other articles will be at the bottom of this post, so stay tuned for that!   For the past year, I've struggled to find a workflow that helps me get things done while still avoiding burnout. And I've learned a lot—mostly from my failures.  I wanted t...

I was tagged by the lovely Annabelle Batie from the blog Pen & Ink for the Get to Know Me tag!  If you're interested in writing, you should definitely check out Annabelle's blog—she posts writing tips and resources that are very helpful.  The Rules Link back to the person who created the tag. (That would be Savannah !) Thank the person who tagged you. (Thanks again to Annabelle !) Share the tag graphic. Tag eleven bloggers. Questions Vital Stats and Appearance Name: Emma Thrasher   Nicknames: "Emma" doesn't really lend itself well to nicknames, though a few of my friends call me "Em" on occasion. I did go by my middle name—Rose, or Rosie—back when I was younger. Birthday: If I tell you too much about my personal life, you'll be able to steal my identity! And that would be terrible. Hair color and length: Brown, and it reaches just past my waist. I'm trying to grow it out so that it reaches my feet, but that'll take quite a while. Ey...