I have had the opportunity to read so many good essays and articles from our contributors this year. Some went viral, some had long tails, and some made just a few small ripples before the Internet moved on.
As the year winds down, I wanted to unearth some of these hidden gems that you may have missed because of Facebook algorithms and general busyness. I hope you will read and linger over some of these words and see the amount of wisdom, creativity, and joy that God has given our brothers and sisters to share with us.
1. The False Gospel of Self Love
There is a dangerous and damaging ideology that is making its way into Christian thought and life. It is “self-love” — the idea that the ability to love one’s self leads to happiness and well-being.
I’ve encountered and counseled more and more individuals within the church who are pursuing self-love and self-improvement. They are unhappy with who they see in the mirror and are struggling to love themselves. Understandably, many are turning to self-love to find ways to be comfortable with who they are.
What is driving us into the philosophy of self-love? This struggle isn’t unique to Asian Americans, but we do have specific experiences that contribute to our inability to love the self. Let us look at three in particular.
2. Helping Women Lament in Church
Asian women in the West are confronted with multiple expectations. There are Asian expectations to be high-achieving daughters who are submissive and look after the family. There are also Western expectations to be quiet, grateful and hard-working model migrants. In both communities, the unspoken condition for our acceptance is dutifully meeting expectations without complaint.
Because if you complain, what happens? It threatens your level of acceptance in the community. You are a bad Asian, bad daughter, bad immigrant. You’re “that” woman, and shame follows.
This attitude towards women can also permeate our churches and affect us all. We think God is primarily a patriarch or a boss, putting us positions in which it is difficult to voice our struggles honestly. We feel the need to serve dutifully without grumbling or complaint. We police ourselves, telling ourselves, “stop complaining, be thankful, lots of people have it worse than you. Stop being dramatic. You have so much going for you.” We shame ourselves.
3. Stop Arguing with Yourself and Enjoy God’s Presence
God is big. But in line with his gracious nature, he doesn’t always speak loudly. Hearing his voice can be difficult especially when I’m in the midst of fighting with myself. I have many voices going on in my head: the snarky contrarian, the positive Christian idealist, the relentless egomaniac, the compassionate shepherd, the curious adventurer, and more.
But often the loudest voice is the inner moral critic.
4. Rooted in a Mobile Era
I considered Los Angeles as a stepping stone in my journey. I told myself that I wouldn’t be here long. So I kept new friends at a safe distance. All the while, I noticed the exciting moments people shared on social media. One person started a job in a new city. Another person was leading an exclusive project. I couldn’t help but compare my seemingly stagnant life with their growing one.
I questioned my progress and reproached myself. Our 20s are the prime of our lives, so they say. Therefore, I had to capitalize on my mobility like everyone else. This rationale led me deeper into the temptation of mobility — the idea of perpetual movement.
5. OCD: From Obsessive Compulsion to Redemption — SOLA
Obsessive-compulsive disorder or OCD can manifest itself in many forms. One of the common forms for myself are situations similar to the one you graciously imagined with me in the page-flipping example. But it extends to other things.
Where you stare at the turn signal indicator to make sure it’s actually blinking. Where you stare at the lock on the door to make sure it’s actually locked. Where you look at the knob on the oven stove to make sure it’s actually off. You do this all the while knowing that you could take a step back and know the reality, but you do not feel the reality.
It also affects all of the relationships in your life.
Are you sure your brothers love you as much as you think they do? Maybe ask them for one more hug, and until you feel that it was a “proper” hug – whatever that means — then I’ll leave you alone. After all, he probably didn’t mean his “I love you.” There was something in the tone, something in his facial expressions. Something you didn’t catch. He didn’t meant it. Ask for affirmation again.
6. Holy Week Devotion #7: The Silence of Saturday — SOLA
I don’t think I’ve ever yearned for the resurrection more than I do these days.
Friday is the day of deep loss and confusion. Sunday is the day of fulfillment and joy. But Saturday leaves me sitting with the question: Will God fulfill His promises?
The answer seems obvious, but it never feels obvious. What it feels like is a pit in your stomach, a tightness in your chest. It feels like a dry mouth and swollen eyes. It feels like an impossible choice: stay or flee. Stay here staring at the tomb where hope is inseparable from reminders of loss and pain? Or flee from pain and loss — and also the possibility of seeing God do something miraculous?
7. To the Goldfish in Me: Reminders for When I Forget
Dear Future Me.
There is presently an outpouring of sustained, undeserved, inexpressible joy, and it is being received in such fullness by His grace and His grace alone. But wherever you find yourself, even if it’s not this same kind of outpouring, He is God. He is good. Always.
Be grateful and do not forget: L
ife comes in seasons and each one is a shower of grace. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)
8. Why the Apostles’ Creed Matters
It’s very easy for heresies to creep into correct theology. For example, only 47% of evangelicals strongly agree that “Biblical accounts of the physical resurrection of Jesus are completely accurate.” In addition, only 44% of evangelicals strongly believe “there will be a time when Jesus Christ returns to judge all the people who have lived.”
How can we counter this trend and help our fellow Christians to fully understand the breadth and depth of the Gospel? Perhaps we should take another look at the Apostles’ Creed.
9. God is Restoring Me: Testimony of a Redeemed Daughter
Notice to readers: This testimony refers to sexual abuse that may be triggering to survivors and may be unsuitable for some readers.
There’s actually a lot of things wrong with my house. Our once termite-infested kitchen floor needs to be replaced, the hole behind the showerhead in the bathroom needs to be filled, and among other things, both bathrooms have broken faucets. But we couldn’t (and can’t) afford to renovate or fix anything.
That’s because our physical house isn’t the only thing that’s broken. It’s also my family. In high school, I finally told someone that my father had been sexually abusing me for years. He was prosecuted and eventually fled the country to escape further legal repercussions. My family of five became a broken family of four.
10. 3 Reasons to Guest Speak at Your Local Christian Club
Did you enjoy going to your school’s Christian club? I know I didn’t when I was in high school. We sang the same song every week. There was no schedule. We had a volunteer youth pastor who was nice, but I can’t remember anything else about him. The irony of it all is that now I’m that hopefully nice youth pastor that goes to schools to speak and that nobody probably remembers. Even though I’ve been this forgotten man the past 10 years, I’d like to encourage you to be a part of your school’s Christian club if you’re a youth minister or leader. Here’s why.