Friends, allow me to let you in on a little secret: we all have flaws.

Wait, what's that? You say you already knew that? Oh, that's right, everyone knows that, of course. Then why is it that everyone acts so ashamed of their flaws?! Perhaps because it is simply human to hide our imperfections. The truth is that none of us are perfect, and God knows that; He sent His only son for that very reason: to cover our flawed nature with His grace. I would like to encourage every single one of you to become comfortable with yourself—flaws and all.

This is a topic that is very important to me, because I have personally battled with this issue for years now. As meets the eye, I seem to be a carefree person who is comfortable in my skin, but those who are closest to me know how much effort I have put in to get to this point and about the insecurities which are rooted in me. I used to be so incredibly insecure in myself and uncomfortable with all of my flaws that it actually became a hindrance to my life in many ways. Instead of accepting who I am, I went to unnecessary lengths to mask myself because the thoughts of others held so much power over me.

This letter goes out to all of you who are like me; to those who stay home in fear of someone seeing you the way you see yourself; to those who wear baggy clothes to cover up your body because of what someone might think or say; to those who are quiet because they are afraid to embarrass themselves; and to those who don't even bother trying something because you know you'll never be as good as those you compare yourselves to.

I'm right there with you. I have done all those things and more. I'm here to tell you you're not alone, and I'm here to tell you that you can overcome this. After much prayer and seeking God, I knew I didn't want to be limited by my insecurities anymore. I spent a lot of time working on myself, and I realized many things. I want to share some of these realizations with you.

Your flaws are what make you human. Everyone has them.

Your imperfections connect you to others who share in those imperfections too.

Your faults aren't weird, they make you unique.

If someone can't see past something that you're insecure about, then that is not someone you want in your life.

An analogy that I pondered on is this: think about your loved ones, and imagine describing them as if they were a book character. When you think about how you would describe them, often the imperfect aspects of them come to mind along with the beautiful ones. This is because that is what differentiates them from everyone else, and that's often what makes you love them so much.

The most important thing I realized is that looking at myself with disdain and wanting to change myself is subconsciously telling God that He messed up. It is doubting His sovereign and perfect nature. Once you become comfortable with that fact that God intentionally created you to be the way that you are, you will be free; once you accept your imperfections, no one else can hold that over you.

If the worst someone can do to you is point out a flaw that you already grown to love yourself for, then they can't hurt you. You will be free to go out and enjoy yourself and not give a single thought towards what someone else might think of you. You will be able to make new memories and serve God without limitation; you will feel comfortable in your own skin, and free to be yourself. There aren't proper words to describe how liberating this feeling truly is.

Insecurity can be quite a heavy weight on your shoulders, but you will one day be rid of this weight. Take it from me: just your average girl who knows exactly what you're going through, and is cheering you on as you fight to overcome it.