Dear You,

Yes, you. How are you doing? Are you hurting? Does this world have you down? Do even the holidays make you sad? This world is hurting, I know, but you, my sweet human, are doing just fine. You are doing well. You are doing good. I know this to be true. I also know that…

1. You are worthy of being loved.

You may have been hurt by someone in the past. You may feel unlovable some days because you’ve been single forever. You may feel like love is something far away. But I am here to tell you that you, my friend, are SO worthy of being loved and not just by a romantic partner, but by friends and family from all walks of life.

2. You are worthy of being respected.

Going off of the first point—love looks like respect. If someone is not respecting you, they are not loving you, despite the things they may tell you. Likewise, you need to respect people—all people. Respect goes a long, long way.

3. Your grades do not define you.

Cliché, I know, but also very true. It’s so easy, especially during finals, to get caught up in the lie that grades are all that matter—that keeping a high GPA is of sole importance. That’s just not true. Grades matter. Working hard matters. School matters. But there are a lot of things that matter a lot more than the test grade you get back.

4. You are creative.

“HAHA NO I’M NOT!” you laugh back. You’re wrong. You have worlds within you. You have your experiences, your life, your feelings—and you have the ability to express them to others. That is creativity. You are creative.

5. You deserve to rest.

We live in a world that is all about going going going. Take a breath. Look around. Stare at the sky. If you never stop, you never enjoy the moment. Rest is key.

6. You need to love.

Love people. Love people. Love people. The people around you need love. Serve people. See a need, meet a need. Smile. Be kind.

7. You control how you react.

This world is going to throw some crazy stuff at you. You are going to have pain and sadness that you can’t control, but you can always control how you react, and the way you react will dictate a lot about how your life goes on.

8. Your smile is beautiful.

Smile at yourself in the mirror—then genuinely smile back. Smile at other people—you’ll be surprised how often they genuinely smile back.

9. You have something worth sharing with the world.

I don’t know what that something is, but you do. Whether it is your photography, your love for the arts, your passion for teaching kids music, your love for orphans, your incredibly smart brain, your words—whatever it is, share it. Do what you can to use what you have to give something to the world. The world needs what you have.

10. Your path isn’t going to look like anyone else’s.

I don’t know what your “something” is—but I know it’s not exactly my “something” or my friend’s “something.” Whatever you have to give to the world, and how you choose to pursue that, is going to look drastically different from the path of anyone else. That’s okay. In fact, that’s more than okay—that’s good.

11. You need to work hard—always.

Your path isn’t going to look like anyone else, so stop comparing. Your path isn’t better or worse than the kid sitting next to you in class—your path is just different. Keep your head down, focus on what you need to get done, and get it done. Work hard—keep moving forward—always

12. You have people to thank.

Think about the people in your life. Think about how many things had to fall perfectly into place for you to even cross their path. There is a reason. Think about your kindergarten teacher, your elementary school best friend, your middle school guidance counselor, your high school choir director, the people you sit next to in lecture, the woman who sells you your lunch, the people you sing with, the people you dream with—the people you are living life with. They are drastically impacting your life. Thank them for that every once in awhile.

13. Your past doesn’t define you.

We have all made mistakes. We all fall short. We all screw up. But thankfully, we have a Savior who is full of grace, full of forgiveness, and full of new beginnings. He does not count your past against you. You get the beautiful opportunity to start new and start over and begin again.

14. You are a being that was loved before your existence and are loved still.

That same Savior who is giving you new beginnings gave you your very first beginning. Before you were even a thought in the minds of anyone on this earth, our Lord sent his son Jesus to take the death we deserve. But He rose again, defeating sin—defeating all of the pain we deserve. Friends, the only reason someone would go through that is out of a deep, deep love. You are loved. You were loved when Jesus came to earth. You are loved. You are loved. You are loved.

15. You have a future.

Because sin is defeated, we have a future. You are going to do beautiful things in this world. You are going to make a change. Dream big with Him. He has overcome the world.

Love,

Me