Dear Future Self,

When I was in my first year at Hope, I met some incredible young women who deeply inspired my faith life. These outstanding people became some of my dearest friends, and gifted me with an overwhelming sense of belonging and worth. I found myself looking around and saying, “God, if I could be just like her, then I would be able to live perfectly for You.” Yet God graciously continues to remind me daily to honor the unique person I was created to be.

You were created by God to tell stories of God’s people. God has given you the bravery and the tenacity to live an honest, vulnerable, and theatrical life. Do not waste your gifts. Do not mistake the use of your talents in theatre or dance or music or poetry for pride. I read somewhere that being proud of your talents is as nonsensical as being proud of your hair color. Your talent, like everything else, is a gift from God. It should never be used to bring glory to anyone but God. I believe that God will be most glorified in work that is honest, messy, bold, and above all done with a posture of love and gratitude.

Not only should your artistic life be a reflection of grace, but so shall your personal life. As an actor I am often focused on the objectives of characters. Each character in each scene has an objective - something that she or he wants by the end of the scene. If it is a well-written play, the character also has what is called a super objective. A super objective is that end which the character longs for so deeply, that each of her objectives are stepping stones on the way to her larger goal. I always say I’ve learned more about life from acting class than I have from actual life. Say you are nurturing your soul by having a cup of coffee with a dear friend whom you haven’t seen in quite some time. Your objective during this time is simply to listen and respond genuinely in order to catch up on what has happened in this person’s life in the past year. Your super objective, of course, is to live in response to grace, thus emulating the traits of Jesus.

I tend to be of the mindset that one should not aim to separate the sacred from the secular. God is responsible for every occurrence which enchants your spirit and every occurrence which does nothing spectacular for your spirit whatsoever. I do believe there are times though, sweet child, when you must seek the presence and guidance of God by means of simply seeking God. I do not mean worship; if you are living in response to grace, you will worship. I am not talking about reading scripture, though this is also important. There must be times when you simply listen. We live in a world of hurry. We exist from day to day as though we are climbing a set of stairs which only goes up. Do not forget to stop, dear. Stop, just to listen. Pray. Ask God for what you need. Then, stop. Then, listen. You will find, I’m sure, that your life will become a natural response to grace, so long as you take the time to hear the message.

Love Always,

The Person I Was Created to Be