A Letter to Me

Remember the way you rolled your eyes whenever your Mom said she still felt like a teenager in her heart? You shouldn't have done that. The day will come when you too will look in the mirror and wonder who that older lady is.

Setting that aside, there are a few really important things I want to say to you.

 Please stop trying so hard to be like everyone else. You know, the "everyone elses" who are so pretty and popular and never seem at a loss for the right words. I wish I could get you to see that skinny legs and curly hair are not the end of the world. The "flip"won't always be the most popular hairstyle.

 And feeling awkward and uncomfortable while everyone else has a great time at the party isn't the worst thing that can happen to you.

Another thing, don't try so hard to please everyone. I promise you, if you can get this one right you'll save yourself so much heartache. You won't be ruined forever if everyone doesn't think you're perfect. You're not, but neither is anyone else. It will be alright. You don't have to compromise who you are to fit in.

You might want to try to get your head out of the clouds - just a little anyway. It's lovely to dream but a dash of practical common sense is worth its weight in gold. You should take off the rose colored glasses occasionally. It might keep you from running hard into reality and getting them knocked off that nose you've never really liked. 

If there was only one thing I could tell you it would be - don't hold the gift lightly. I know there is hardly a time in your life you can remember not knowing Jesus. It is easy to take for granted the priceless treasure you hold when it has become so familiar. I'm afraid it will take a bit of living, a bit of stumbling around and even falling down, before you understand its full worth.

 In time you will see it for what it is and it will drive you to your knees in gratitude. All that teenage angst that followed you right into adulthood will begin to fall away. It's an on-going process, but you will learn to see who you are through His eyes. So much better than those rose colored glasses.

 Oh, and the happily ever after with the high school sweetheart? Well....it wasn't "happily ever after", but it is "ever after" made deeper and richer by all those things the little dreamer never saw coming.

Emily, whose 2nd book has just been released, has asked us to write letters to our teen-aged selves. That's because her book "Graceful" is written to teenage girls. Emily is a gifted writer. She has a heart for girls and a desire to share the message of grace. It changes lives.

also linking to my other Emily at imperfect prose

Blessings,
Linda