“If we could write a letter to our younger self, what would we say? Would you encourage yourself to believe better, think differently or hope for more? Here’s what I would say to myself aged 13. ”
Recently I’ve been working a lot with young people and giving advice into their situations. As I’ve been doing this, I started to consider what advice I’d give to myself if I could write a letter back in time. What would I say to myself? Here is what I came up with – if only there was a time machine!
I’ve treated you all to a picture of me when I was 13. 😉
Hey Libby,
You have no idea the incredible stuff God has in store for you! You are doubting Him a bit now, but he is going to come through for you and ask you to take some brave steps. But you will do it, and although it might feel like your dream to be prime minister is everything right now, That desire for justice and change might look a bit different to how you expect! Listen to God’s voice above all else. You’ll still be figuring it out at 23, but God will give you the next step – the destination isn’t as clear!
Please stop obsessing over that guy you like. You don’t need his affirmation to be loved, you are beautiful and valuable, a daughter of the king! Makeup will never make you feel better – I know that your friends said you look so much nicer with lots of makeup on, but God is all you need. You don’t need to be anxious about how you look to others. You aren’t too fat, your hair looks great and your glasses really don’t make you look ugly! You don’t need to compromise to be accepted. People will hurt you, you will hurt people, and it will not be easy, but God will get you through it! Trust in him, people will continue to let you down, but He wont! Oh, and you’ll get to marry an amazing man when you are 22, you will be able to be yourself with him, and he will love you for who you are.Â
I know you stay up late at night reading the Bible because you are trying to work out what is right and wrong. You’ve misunderstood God’s heart, it’s not about rules and how far you can push them without doing wrong, but about a loving, heavenly Father wanting the absolute best for you! Listen to his guidance, it will lead you to live your best life. God isn’t a headmaster who wants you to earn gold stars, house points or merits! Keep studying the Bible, but read it as a love letter, a beautiful account of how much God loves you and wants to protect you.
Press into Jesus. Follow Him because he loves you so much. Don’t allow anyone to stop you being passionate about Jesus, and be authentic and consistent in your life. You really don’t need to be anyone else! Remind yourself of this daily – you’ll still be reminding yourself when you’re 23 🙂Â
You’ll never stop learning and finding things hard sometimes, but Jesus is always with you!
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. – Joshua 1:9
Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. – 1 Timothy 4:12
Love from,
Future Libby in 10 years time!
The crazy thing I found writing this, is that sometimes when I feel low, I can fall into the same negative thought cycles as I did when I was 13 if I’m not careful. I constantly have to remind myself of the goodness and gracefulness of God. He is so good to us!
APPLICATION
If you wrote a letter to your teenage self, what would you say?
Credits: Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash; Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
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