Goodness

 “Believe that there is goodness in this world, and make it your life’s mission to seek out and find this goodness.” (APurposeinPain.com)

Dear Younger Me,

Life can be beautiful, and hard. You are strong enough to get through it all. Slow down and be patient. There is so much that God has planned for you. Right now you need to enjoy and treasure this time in your life because it goes by too quickly. Enjoy having your health and strength because you will not have them forever. Live every second as fully as you can.

Never waste a second wishing you were older or somewhere else in life. You will see and experience things that will urge you to grow up before you need to. Don’t let that happen. You will struggle with not thinking you’re not good enough, but I promise you are. Stop looking to others to find your worth. Know that you are God’s precious child. Nothing you achieve in life (or fail to achieve) will ever change His love for you.

Learn to give yourself grace. I know that you set high expectations for yourself, but please give yourself a break sometimes. You do not have to be perfect. Perfection is an illusion. Learn to talk to yourself like you would an old friend. Be kind and gentle with the words you tell yourself. The words you speak to yourself become what you believe. Choose your words carefully.

I promise you the majority of things you’re worried about will never actually happen. Stop wasting your valuable time on the “what-ifs” of your life. If you keep focusing on what could happen in the future or thinking about events you can’t change from the past, you will miss out on the gift of your life that is here in the present. Don’t look back in twenty years and regret that you never learned to appreciate today. Learn to embrace the present moment.

Enjoy every little moment you have with those you love. Call these people, send them texts, and let them know how cherished they are. You will not have them forever so make the most of your time together today. Never stop searching for the blessings all around you. If you learn to look, you will find them everywhere. Be grateful for all you’ve been given.

Realize the abundance of blessings that surround you. Be thankful for the people in your life who love and support you. Let them know how much they mean to you. Nurture the relationships in your life. It takes work. Do your best to always give more than you take from others.

You will never be able to please everyone so stop living for the approval of others. There will be people in this life who don’t like you. Learn to accept this, and move on. Find the people in this world who do appreciate your passion. Find them, and love them with all your might. Learn to forgive quickly, but don’t let anyone walk all over you. Stand up for yourself. Stand up for what you believe in.

Believe that there is goodness in this world and make it your life’s mission to seek out and find this goodness. You have wrestled with fear your entire life so don’t let it win. Choose faith instead of fear. Know that wherever you go, God will go with you. You are never alone. Don’t let your fear hold you back from living your life and stepping out boldly into the world. You have so many gifts to give. Do not let fear prevent you from sharing these gifts with the world.

Don’t let pain freeze your heart, but Instead, use it for good. Know that it serves a great purpose. Never stop learning from the difficult times in your life. Let your pain provide you with wisdom that you would not otherwise have. When you go through difficult times, don’t emotionally hide from other people.

 Learn to share your truth to help others to feel less alone in their life. If you do this, you will never waste the gift of challenging experiences God has given you. You are so much stronger, resilient, and wiser than you know. Don’t ever forget this. There will be times when life will try to wear you down in its messiness and unpredictability of it all. Believe that you can change the world as well as be catalyst for good in the lives of others. God is with you always.

Love,

Your Future Self

 “The words you speak to yourself become what you believe. Choose your words carefully.” (APurposeinPain.com)[i]

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[i] Adapted from: “A Letter to My Younger Self” by Sam

This 1986 version of me was 22  during my senior year at Bob Jones University in Greenville, SC. (By the way, I took my glasses off for this formal school picture.)