If I could write myself a letter, go back in time and deliver it to myself and save myself from all those mistakes... I'm not sure I would. Jesus knew I was going to make those mistakes and still CHOSE me and CREATED me and DIED for me. So although I would never wish to change the past (even though I would love to take back the hurt I inflicted on my loved ones), I hope some young woman out there reads this and takes to heart what I learned through my mistakes. I hope someone hears this and I hope it makes a difference. If I could write myself that letter... This is what it would say:
_________________________________________________________________________________
Dear Young Woman:
Chances are, you are reading this at a time when you are trying to figure out who you are. Let me tell you, first and foremost,
#1) You are God's daughter. You are royalty. No matter what the world tells you, no matter what the kids say or what the emotions in your head say; no matter what the billboards portray those other women as, YOU ARE GODS CHOSEN. Royal. It says so in 1 Peter 2:9. And a true royal is not stuck up or cocky, but she is learning confidence, humility, and how to be a servant. True gracefulness and poise comes not from having people serving you, but learning how to serve others and how to to LOVE doing it. Serving others (and ultimately Christ) will bring you joy on the days you feel unwanted and depressed and devalued because you will receive a gift that no words of confirmation can bring - you will receive the gift of someone's joy when they are blessed by YOU. You may think right now receiving is a beautiful thing, and it is; but you have the heart of your Father! It's in your DNA to love serving others; and when you serve others, you connect with Jesus in a way you have never experienced before. "For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many." - Matthew 20:28
#2) You are not required to fight for God's love. Gods love is a crazy thing because we are so used to feeling like we have to fight for love and acceptance. But God is not asking you to do that. God is fierce. He proved His point in the loudest way possible by sending His Son to die for you (John 3:16).
God will not only fight your battles with you, but God will fight FOR you - to keep you as His daughter. He isn't wimpy. He's strong and fierce and brave and when things get tough, all you have to do is call on the name of Jesus and you will find refuge. "He will cover you with His feathers and shelter you with His wings; His faithful promises are your armor and protection." -Psalm 91:4 // "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." Exodus 14:14
#3) Go easy on your parents - they're still learning! Just as much as you think they expect YOU to be perfect, often we expect our parents to be perfect too. But even though they are our authority and our examples, truth is, sometimes they feel terrified for you. They know how hard this world is and they know that people are out to use you, to walk all over you, to take advantage of you, and those people are willing to pretend to be your best friends in order to do so. Listen to your parents about your friends (Proverbs 1:8). They pick up on things. Even though those friends might be helping you get away with things behind your parents' backs, the guilt you feel is forming a wall between you and your loved ones. Honesty and reconciliation is the only thing that is going to break that wall down. As long as you live in secret and sneak around you are continuing to stack bricks on that wall and there will continue to be that hardness in your heart towards everyone on the other side. You may not realize it now, but you are building bitterness and resentment towards them because sin is fun - and if you're having to do it behind their backs then that must mean they just don't want you to have fun, right? WRONG. They just know the cost of those things. It's not just a drink of alcohol or a kiss from a hot guy, its a careful dance with the devil - one you think you can control but never will be able to. Which leads me to my next point...
#4) If your sin wasn't fun, you wouldn't keep doing it. Satan makes sin as fun so possible to keep you bound. But sin ALWAYS requires MORE from you. Everytime you have to go further, you need a little more. You get "so close" to feeling "satisfied" and you know that maybe if next time you drink more or party more or "live it up more" you'll reach that point of distraction - oops, I meant satisfaction - but I promise you it will never be enough. You will always need more. Jesus is the only thing that will ever satisfy you. If you truly want to feel weightlessly joyful and complete, give your heart to JESUS. "The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving." -Psalm 28:7
#5) There will always be boys that want you. Whether you are aware of it or not. But you cannot truly be happy with someone until you are happy WITHOUT someone. If you jump into a relationship or flirtationship while you are still unsure of who you are, you are going to begin to depend on that person to define your beauty. When they aren't around to reassure you, all those little insecurities creep back up and torment you. 1 Peter 3:3-5 says that "Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self,the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight." Work on THAT, and you'll find somebody worth your time. But don't rush it. Love is exciting, but even though "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit." Psalm 34:18, if you fall for the wrong person, you end up giving a piece of your heart away. And although Jesus can always restore what's been broken, why give the enemy that foothold in your life? He doesn't realize that he's been defeated and he will try to throw those awful things back in your face. You don't need to be fighting off shame every day of your life. Jesus wants you to live a free, ABUNDANT life.
And finally,
#6) Enjoy YOUR journey with Jesus. Not your parents, not your youth pastors; make it PERSONAL. Parents and pastors can point you to the right places in scripture to start, but find out who Jesus is calling you to be - find out what it takes to be Jesus' best friend and learn to thrive in that. Talk to Him often. Get to know His heart. "Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. You have to learn to ENJOY life. And the only way to en(JOY) life is to experience the joy that comes from life with Jesus; to live how you were made to: in constant praise and worship of Jesus. When you do that, you will always have the peace that comes with it and you will ALWAYS know the love of your Father. Know that in ANY situation you can praise Jesus and watch your chains fall off. Just like Paul and Silas did in Acts 16! If you feel bound, PRAISE JESUS. Watch your chains fall off. And watch the chains on others around you fall off. The joy of The Lord is not only contagious, but the joy of The Lord is our STRENGTH.
Trust in Jesus - He knows what He's doing!
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding." Proverbs 3:5
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11
"Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established." Proverbs 16:3
"The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." Deuteronomy 31:8
"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10
"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." Romans 12:12
Love,
Someone Who Already Learned (and is still learning!) ❤️
