Hey.

Life is intense. You're at that age where you're a grown-up but it’s right there coming all too quickly, your youth fading away in the distance. You're some place in the middle of, having recently enough opportunity to do what you need while as yet being considered in charge of the choices you make about your future. You’re anxious all the time, wondering if you keep failing tests if you should drop out, or if the bags under your eyes are permanent- have you peaked? But, listen- don’t walk out on me, your God, however, I need to disclose to you this: you're enduring is not futile.

I need you to realize that all that you are experiencing is life is all for the purpose of you turning to me, knowing me, and trusting me. It's all building you into the best version of yourself. The things you've asked of me, the things you've revealed to me you needed – take heart that I love you more than you could ever know, and trust that my plan for you will prosper, not harm you. The way has wandered aimlessly, you may feel like have no control- with obstacles where you feel so small, where everything feels daunting, that the world is against you. Remember this- "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33. Sometimes, you’re going to loose sight of me- more often than not you're not going to have the capacity to see straight in front of you. That I am right there. That the storms you will face will pass, that I am right there with you, carrying you. And when they pass, you will delight in me and know me better- you will grow deeper in your faith, and live to the fullest.

You'll see that the lessons you gain from attempting times are precisely what you have to satisfy my arrangements for you. Jeremiah 29:11-14, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.” He plans to give you a hope and a future, with the promise of finding true joy in Him when you seek Him. So wipe those tears away, stop worrying about whether or not you’ll have a job, if you’ll ever be married, or if you're studying something pointless that will go nowhere- I have a plan for you. I love you, I want the best for you, and I believe in you- chase me, the way I chase after you- seek me, and you will be given confidence, joy, and the ability to change what you can and the ability to accept what you can’t.

You have made a conscious decision to follow me, and give your life to me- you will stray, lose hope, question and feel heartbreak- you may even hate me. So this is what I need you to do: don't surrender. Have confidence in me. Romans 5:8- I loved you at your darkest. I am always there- your worst and best moments, in your lows you turn to me and feel comfort- I'm the one individual you realize that won't leave you. I will never betray you- I will always forgive you. You realize that I adore you, and you realize that I'm here for you, so demonstrate it. Life is really complicated- school, friends, boys, family- I knew it would be this way. It’s too easy to conform to the patterns of this world- it is too common, sin is so tempting, it is hard to remain faithful when you feel like an outcast. For it to be easier to just fit in with everyone else, feeling like you’re missing out. Remember this- knowing Jesus, is knowing what it’s like to live life to the fullest. Talk to me about your feelings- if you feel tempted, distant, or angry with me. Why I did this or that or what I think about something- I promise I’m right there with the purpose of knowing you, loving you, and saving you. I want you to live a life of joy, not a life of confusion or half reality of what’s real. Talk to me, know me, fix your eyes on me.

College, and life in general... it’s meant for mistakes, for sin. Try not to buy into the sinful things in this world- the lies you hear. That you’re not good enough, that you're ordinary, that you’re worthless. That you’re not as pretty as her, or you’ll never find love, or be happy. Trust in my plan for you. Try not to give yourself a chance to disregard me or trust that I'm not there when I am and realize that my arrangement is set up for you... plans for you to prosper, trust in that and you will have peace and live a life in my footsteps, the fullest life there is on earth. In any case, in particular, recall that I adore you–at your most exceedingly terrible and your best- for I know the numbers of hair on your head and the number of your days, when that boy will fall in love with you, when you will find your dream job, the day you start loving yourself- I know you better than you know yourself. You are mine, and I am yours if you let me in- take that leap of faith.

Love,