​Dear Younger Me,
You are in the midst of a hard season, fun but hard!  You are learning responsibility and balance.  You are learning how to fit it all in and do your best at the same time.  You are learning about others and about yourself.  You are learning to work and handle money.  You don’t know what life is going to look like in 4 years but you know big changes are coming.  There is so much to figure out that you don’t even know where to start. 
Here are some things I want you to know:

1.  Enjoy life right now!  This is the only time in your life that you will get to do these things with these people.
2. Make new friends!  Don’t feel like you have to be part of only one group.  Talk to people who are different than you.  You will learn so much! 
3. Don’t bare your heart and soul to everyone you meet.  Find that one friend that you can trust to be vulnerable with. 
4. Try something new!  Now is the time to start figuring out what you really enjoy! 
5. Dream big!  Now is the time to really start dreaming!  It will become the basis of what you do over the next few years!
6. Get to know Jesus!  Learn about the one who made you unique and special.  Knowing who you are to the One who created you and loves you will make life so much easier!
7. Pray for direction!  As you make new friends, try new things, and dream big dreams, pray about them.  Ask God to guide your steps as you move forward in life. 
8. Remember this is just a page in your story.  You may mess up a little or you may mess up a lot but that doesn’t define who you are or where your life is going. 
9. Be you!  I know that is hard but celebrate the girl God made you to be.  He made you with unique giftings that no one else can offer the way you can. 

Remember that this season you are going through is only a season! This is a time for you to learn and grow but to still have your family to guide you as you go.  You WILL make mistakes but you WILL also soar! You can do this!! 

Written By: Heather

Dear Younger Me,

Goodness, girl at the current age I am I did not think you would be struggling with how people think of you.  I remember when it all started for us, in high school we wanted to change our self to fit in with the cheerleader crowd. It started with changing the way we talked, changing the way we carried ourselves. The pattern continued into college for us where we exaggerated our experiences because we wanted to fit in with people. I challenge you to change your future! Choose to love yourself now!

Girl I wish you knew how those moments have affected us. One thing I wish you would know is that if you could know that your identity is in Christ and not the opinions of others. It is so important for you to ingrain this in your heart at a young age.  In the book of Galatians, Paul writes about his very thing. He points it out that we are not to focus on what people think of us but simply only be concerned about what God thinks.

"Obviously, I'm not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ's servant" Galatians 1:10

I challenge you to not change who you are! Look in the mirror and be proud of the young woman you are becoming. Don't try to change the unique things that make you different. Embrace the uniqueness God has given you. Embrace your love for travel, your love of books, writing and your obsession with fashion and The Bachelor! Embrace your heart for helping others. Don't be ashamed of who you are! You are Worth More than people's opinions. I challenge you to conquer this now and not wait until you are older.

Love,
Your Older Self

Written By: Rebeccah

Dear Younger Me,
            It’s okay. It’s okay that you don’t have everything figured out right now. Guess what? Those plans and expectations you have right now are going to change, and it’s okay. The friends you have right now are going to change in the future. You may still talk to them or you may not, and it’s okay. That boy that you have the biggest crush on right now? He may not be around in a few years, and it’s okay. I know you feel really unsure of yourself right now, it’s okay. I know you are so worried about what everyone else thinks of you, but know what? It’s okay to be yourself, in fact, being yourself is all you can do. The people that love you for you are the only ones that matter. Things are going to fall apart, and it’s okay. Bad things are going to happen, and it’s okay. It’s okay because it is only going to make you stronger and it is going to teach you lessons that you may have never learned otherwise. It’s okay to laugh too loud. It’s okay to eat that extra cupcake. It’s okay to dance like crazy. It’s okay to get your hands a little dirty. It’s okay to cry. It’s okay. It’s okay to live in the moment. It’s okay to put your phone down for the night. It’s okay to binge watch that Netflix show. It’s okay to take a 45-minute bubble bath. It’s okay to not be okay sometimes. All of these things are okay because when it comes down to it, life is short. We don't get to choose what cards we are dealt, but we do get to choose how we respond to them. It’s okay to take a step back and take a deep breath. Remember that no matter what happens, your God has you, He loves you, and His plan for you is so much bigger and better than you could ever imagine. Your life is not going to be perfect, you aren’t perfect, and that is completely okay. Just remember to look to Him always and keep pressing forward.
Love always,
Your Older Self 

Written By: Adyson

​Dear Younger Me,
 
That Disney song “Someday My Prince Will Come” has some truth to it… you don’t have to meet your prince charming right now. Spending some time alone first isn’t something to make you sad, embarrassed, or worthy of self-pity. Your value is not in any way, shape, or form determined by your relationship status. Don’t believe that it is for a second! God is preparing you and your future guy before you meet each other. God needs you to be fully dependent on Him and find your identity in Him alone to have a healthy relationship with a guy. If the source of your identity is not Christ, you will be far more likely to make poor dating decisions and be utterly crushed if things don’t work out. The same is true for your guy. He needs to do some growing up and maturing before he can be a spiritual leader for you and treat you the way you deserve to be treated as a daughter of the King. So enjoy life, and fall more deeply in love with God as you do! Don’t go searching for a guy or change yourself to be the girl you think your crush wants. Hang out with your friends, wear the comfy clothes even if you don’t think they’ll catch a guy’s attention, and be grateful for the people who are in your life. Give all of your love and devotion to Christ. Someday you’ll find your prince charming in a place and time that you’re not even expecting. Before then, don’t settle for anything less than the best! You are worth too much to be disrespected by your boyfriend. God is preparing someone who will compliment you and pull out your best characteristics, and in the mean time you need only to be patient and trust in His timing.
 
Love,
Your Older Self 

Written By: Emily