Letter to my Younger Self
As an end-of-the-year challenge to some of my Young Life girls, I asked them to acknowledge the lies they believed about themselves and confront them with the truth of their identities in Christ. As part of this process, I encouraged them to use a form of creative expression to begin healing from the false labels they believed and be reminded of who they are.Some chose journaling, others painting, and still others a letter to their younger selves. I chose the latter, and while it was written as an example for others, it was also powerful for me. In the even that there are other women out there who need to be stripped of false identity and walk in the fullness of the Lord, may this get your creative juices flowing: Dear Younger Self,If only you could see what I can see.“If only.”I could begin so many wishes with these two simple words.If only you knew that the thighs you’ve been told are too thick don’t make you unlovable. They make you strong enough to climb mountains.If only you knew that all your traits people labeled as “nerdy” or “weird” were merely gateways for the degree and career paths he’d prepared for you since the beginning of time.If only you knew that the emotions you experience that others have seen as making you “too sensitive” are the same emotions allowing you to be in tune with the father’s heart for the people around you.If only you knew that it’s okay to look at the messiness in the world and call it for what it is, rather than trying to turn a blind eye in the name of false positivity.If only you knew that you’re allowed to cry. God created you to be an emotional being, and even he is saddened by brokenness.If only you knew that you are cherished by the king, a beautiful creation worth treasuring. The world’s lie that you are inadequate or interchangeable couldn’t be further from the truth.If only you knew what you are not:You are not...You are not unwanted.You are not unloved or unlovable.You are not condemned by God.You are not incompetent.You are not an inconvenience to others.You are not a disappointment.
When You wipe the smudges from your glasses, removing the blurry field of vision created by the ignorance of what you are not, you may have an accurate perception of who you are.
You are…You are wanted and chosen.You are loved and lovable.You are redeemed and called by your savior.You are a blessing to others.You are a solution, not a problem.You are fearfully and wonderfully made.So, dear younger self, continue to grow into the person God is shaping you to be. Believe the truth he says about you and forget the lies the world assails you with. Because you are his beloved, and that is enough. 