I almost think it would be awesome to write a letter to yourself every 5 or 10 years and you could look back on them.
So- Here is the letter to my 16 year old self
Enjoy!
Dear 16 year old me,
It’s been 10 years since you were 16. In fact, you are going
to be 27 in just a few months. Don’t worry, It’s not as old as you think! You
cannot imagine how much life is going to change for you in these next 10 years!
I know that right now you are preparing for a huge trip
overseas. (It’s been almost exactly 10 years since this trip) You are going on
your 1st mission’s trip. It’s not going to be like anything you have
experienced before. You are going to see and experience things, that until you
are older you won’t fully understand. Keep your eyes open, take everything in… you
will feel God work in your life more than you can imagine. You will see
miracles, be a part of them. You are going to lead a person to Christ. You will
cry, sing, laugh, dream and learn more about yourself than you thought you
would.
When you return home you can feel how you are different than
you were when you left. And you will want to keep that feeling inside. There
will come a time in the next few months that you chose to push that feeling
down inside and change who you are.
I know its annoying hearing everyone (including) your
friends say that, “You are such a goodie, you never do anything wrong.” I know
that you want to feel popular & feel like people think there is some
special about you. You are going to make some choices that you think will make
you feel this way.
I want you to know that you are special!
You don’t have to make the wrong choices to gain friends and
popularity.
You are enough!
High-school is a lot of fun for you! (You will get into some trouble & almost be caught doing some crazy stuff) You had great friends
and you are leader in all you do. Work hard in school; you will not regret
learning more! Don’t be afraid of trying to much or working to hard. Don’t be
afraid of failing. (It’s going to happen)
I want you to know that by the time you graduate
High-school, your life is going to be totally different than it was when you
turned 16. You have made some really wrong choices, done things that have
really put your life in jeopardy. And I know that while your reading this you
can’t imagine making those choices or doing something that could hurt yourself
or others… but I urge you to remember who you belong too. You Heavenly Father
will not walk away from you… no matter how far you run.
There’s going to be some hard things that happen. There will
be two friends who almost lose their lives and fight for it for months. You
will get the call while you are in church on a Wednesday it’s going to effect
your entire school. You will watch their mother in the hospital & sob sitting
at her feet as she tells you how much she trusts the Lord and how she knows
Gods plan is better than one she could have dreamed for them. You will lose a
friend to a car accident who you grew up with and considered to be a little
brother, although it had been a few years since you had spent much time with
him or his family. It’s going to change how you view time. It’s going change
how you deal with distance from people you love. DON ’T
EVER TAKE THE TIME YOU HAVE WITH PEOP LE FOR
GRANTED!
You are going to stand at his funeral with a packed church of people that you are very close to
and those who you don't know. You will sing the song "It is Well with my soul" & there will
never be another time that that song is sung that you don't think of Jared & the strength of his family.
There is also going to be a point where someone you trust
will try and hurt you & the adults that you looked up to will not be fair.
You grow from this. This makes you a better person. This makes you love more;
it makes you fight more for what you want and what is right. It makes you
stronger.
When you are 19, you are going to think you are in love for the 1st time. You will get your 1st real kiss & be told "I love you" from a boy. --- I
promise by the end of this letter you will know all about the Love of your
life! But this relationship is not it. . (God had MUCH better plans for you)
This relationship is going to teach you SO many things about
yourself. You are going to learn that you deserve a man who loves everything
about you, who treats you like the most important thing in his life and wants
to show you that love as often as he can.
Also, remember that you don’t go into a relationship with
someone who you want to change or wants to change you. I know you are going to
think that your heart is broken when he ends this relationship with you…Just
wait for God has in store.
You graduate college and I am not going to spill the secret
of what degree you graduate with, but know that you may end up back in school a
few years later! Not because you are not good at what you do, things just
change. Go with it, the journey is worth it!
While you are at college you will meet the Love of your
life! (I told you He was coming & you won't believe how PERFECT he is for you)There is going to be a moment the 1st day you meet him where
you joking tell two friends that you have “found your husband” and you don’t
realize that you are actually looking at the man you will one day marry!
I’m telling you that when you pray for this man, God is
listening. You are going to see that God created both of you for each other.
Down to the smallest details... things you eat, he’s going to like all the parts you don’t! There
are going to be some bumpy times but I promise it makes your love stronger! Do
Not Give Up!! He loves you more than you really understand! There is not
a day that goes by that he is not on your mind & just thinking
about him (even 6 1/2 years later) will give you butterflies. Everyday you fall in
love with him more!
This is as far as you have gotten. In 10 years from now you
will be getting ready to get engaged, and planning a wedding and a life with
someone better that you ever dreamed of. Your parents will have become your
friends and things will be a lot different. God is still holding you. No matter
how far you ran or how dark it got He never walked away. Remember that no matter
how hard things seem that God always has a bigger and better plan for you.
He is going to open all the right doors at all the right times. It will be hard for you
to be patient, (heck... it's still hard for you to be patient -haha) But God has you in the palm of
this hand!
I challenge you to keep digging in, get to know Him better.
Let God guide you. I promise his plan for your life is better than you dreamed
of.
Love,
The older you
Ps- remember to Love who you are. You were fearfully &
wonderfully made
I would love to read the letters you have written to your younger self!! Please leave me the link to your blog so I can check them out!
Thank you so much for stopping by!
