A Letter to my Younger Self

Dear younger me,

It's 2008, congratulations you made it to high school. There are a lot of things that are about to change as you enter this phase of your life. You're going to make a lot of memories and have a lot of fun but there are also some things that you should know that will save you from a lot of trouble in the long run. I am writing them out in this letter so you'll be more prepared than I was.

First of all, you are going to fall in love with the sport of cross country. It becomes your passion to the point that it consumes your every thought. It is okay to be passionate about things that you like but not to the point that it becomes toxic. Friends are important. Good grades are important. Family is important. God is important. When you begin to focus so much on one thing you love you neglect things that should always be important. We don't make it to the Olympics. We gain some weight. Cross country is temporary but the relationships you build with God and others will last you a lifetime.

While we are on the subject of God. WAKE UP!! Stop sleeping on the back pew of the church while your dad is preaching! What he is teaching is the most important thing you will ever learn and you're missing it because you are a rebellious teenager. These years will build an invaluable foundation in the Word if you will just wake up and pay attention!

And when it comes to your peers in the classes around you. I know it is in your nature to get so caught up on what everyone thinks of you. You want to be cool. So you change the way you talk and the things that you are interested in. You don't care to lose who YOU are to fit in with them. What if I told you that these people you are trying so hard to impress won't even be in your life in 5 years? What if I told you that it is okay to be who you were born to be because some day real soon you are going to end up in a place where people love you for who you are and the heart that you have?

Learn to forgive. Pride. Pride. Pride. If we can point out one thing in our lives that drives people away it's pride. Learn to let go of the offense in your heart. Don't take it home and lay awake for hours thinking about how they hurt you. We live in a fallen world, everyone around us is hurting too. Make the decision to be the light in that school that never goes out. Be a sanctuary for the broke and lost so. Forgive others quickly and always let them back in. Cross oceans for people... even if they won't jump a puddle for you.

Stop crying over girls! No seriously stop focusing on these little crushes that you have. You have NO IDEA how amazing the woman God made for you is. When she comes into your life it will feel like God has breathed fresh wind in your sails and you can go wherever you want to go. She will give you courage when you feel small and she will have patience when you fall short. Everything you need is coming in one tiny package and she will rock your world with the way she pursues God alongside you!

Learn about money. They don't teach you this in most schools but here's a little secret... you have to save money to live! Learn about savings and credit now and it will save you a lot of time in the years to come!

And finally... stop sleeping your days away. I know the reason that you sleep so much is not because you're always tired. I know that you believe that you're dreams are an escape because they seem so much better than reality. That is a lie that the enemy has whispered to you since you were young. It's time to speak the truth over yourself. You are BLESSED with an amazing family, a nice home, and a good God. The world is not out to get you. Christ overcame the world and when He did, you were on His mind. Repeat after me: You are anointed. You are called. You are a child of the One True King. Nothing that stands against you will prosper if you cling to the one that created it all.

Here at the end of this letter to you... or me. As I think of my younger self and who I was I chuckle just a little. I know you'll read halfway through this letter and roll your eyes because someone is trying to tell you what to do. Maybe it seems a little callous to laugh as you disregard the warnings that could have saved you from countless mistakes. But then again.. maybe those mistakes are what led me to where I am now. Maybe they taught me everything I know. Maybe they are what brought me into a relationship with an amazing Father in heaven that knows me better than anyone.

So if you've made it this far in the letter, even though I doubt you have, I guess I just have one thing to say... Everything turns out all right. You don't turn out half bad kid. So as you lay down to sleep tonight, go to bed with full confidence that God has a plan for you and He is going to blow your mind with His faithfulness.

From, your older (and wiser) self