A LETTER TO MY 16 YEAR OLD SELF

Dear Precious,

You are now 16 going on 17 which means in many ways, you are a grown woman. You have had your first period, gone through high school and you are now a freshman at the university. You have a whole life ahead of you in the university and after. Here are some things I want you to know.

Stop feeling weird because you have never had a boyfriend. One day, you will get married to a man and not an adventurous boy who wants to play with your feelings. You are not out-of-place for not having dated anyone up till this point. Yes, you may be weird to your peers but you are doing just fine.

Believe in yourself and your dreams. Don't be afraid to dream and see far because dreams actually come true. Write down goals for yourself and work towards accomplishing them. You can do anything.

Dear Precious, not everyone is going to like you and your goal isn't to make them like you. Your goal is to walk the path God has set for you. Your goal is to love others and to give as much as you can to the world. Your goal is to please God and not men.

You just got born again. Your life just got completely transformed because Christ met you. Hold on to your relationship with God more than anything else. Invest in this relationship, build it and nourish it because it is the single most important thing in your life. You will be mocked because of your relationship with Christ but don't give up. Stay with God.

Life can be tough and filled with challenges but you have to keep going, keep believing and keep fighting. Press on towards becoming a better person every day.

Surround yourself with the right company. Your friends can make or mar you. The wrong friends will influence you negatively. The right friends will influence you positively. So choose your friends wisely.

Dear Precious, don't form an opinion of yourself based on the negative things others say. People will always have an opinion and sometimes that opinion can damage your self-esteem. But don't let them do that to you. Believe in yourself. Believe in you even when no one else does. They will eventually turn around and even if they don't turn around, don't stop believing in yourself.

Enjoy life. Enjoy nature. Enjoy the beautiful things God made. Live fully. Smile, laugh, play. Breathe and have fun. Enjoy your youth but only within the confines of your Christianity. Christianity might seem too restrictive but it is actually the best kind of freedom you will ever experience. There is no better way than God's way.

Dear Precious, your future is certain because He that keeps you never sleeps nor slumbers. He watches over you. He is with you. Let Him continue to be your everything.

P.S. I am not 16 in the picture at the beginning of the post. I am 20 or so in there. Wish I could find my 16-year-old picture!

If you were to write a letter to your younger self what would you tell her/him?