dear sixteen year old me

I recently turned twenty six, and as I was reflecting on turning another year older, I was thinking about myself ten years ago. A whole decade has gone by since I was sixteen, which is crazy to think about. It feels like just yesterday I was roaming the halls of my high school with my friends wondering what life would be like beyond high school.

here I am closer to thirty than I am to sixteen (that’s crazy work lol). there is still a lot of life to live, but if I could go back to sixteen year old me, here’s what I’d say to her.

dear sixteen year old me,

it’s been a while since we’ve last talked. in high school, I know that it doesn’t feel like the world is your oyster. in fact, it feels like the only thing you’ll ever know is the hometown you grew up in, the Waffle House you went to after Friday night football games, and the people you’ve seen everyday since you were eleven years old (shoutout to the private school kids). I know you want to leave your hometown and experience what life has to offer. I want you to know that God’s plan is bigger than you can see right now.

Jeremiah 29:11-13 states, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (NIV). seek the Lord above your plans, above your timeline, and above your agenda. His ways are so much better than our own.

you may want to leave your hometown right now, but you are exactly where God has you- don’t rush the season you’re in. don’t waste your years wishing you were somewhere else. God is using you where you are to better you, to influence you, and to impact others. remember that no season is wasted, and though it seems pointless right now, you’ll look back and see that God is going to use this season as a testimony to where He will eventually take you. be patient and wait on Him.

Paul says in 2nd Corinthians 4:17-18,  “For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever” (NLT). It may seem like high school is going to last forever, but it really will be over in a blink of an eye. the things you care about now, won’t be the things you care about in ten years (okay, maybe you’ll still care about your outfit being cute and making sure you’re the first to listen to the next Taylor Swift album, but you’ll have a better order of things and know their importance in life).

people’s opinions of you don’t really matter. it’s God’s opinion of you that does. wanting to fit in is normal, but making that your idol is never a good idea. it’s okay if you’re not the most popular girl in school, or that you’re not on the homecoming court. popularity is fleeting. what is more important is your character and your attitude in life.

Peter explains it this way, “Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes.You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.This is how the holy women of old made themselves beautiful. They put their trust in God” (1st Peter 3:3-5 NLT). The things that last aren’t on the outside, but on the inside. pleasing people isn’t the goal, but it’s pleasing Christ that’s the goal (Galatians 1:10).

people won’t remember what you said, but they’ll remember how you made them feel. just because someone is mean to you, doesn’t mean you should be mean to them. Paul says Romans 12:17-18,  “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” (NIV). Jesus calls us to treat others not only how you want to be treated, but to treat others better than they treat us. when you make a mistake, own up to it, and repent of your failure. we all fail in life. it’s inevitable. but what you can control is how you respond to your failure.

high school isn’t your whole story. there is more to this life. it may seem like high school is everything in this current moment. and while it’s important to be where God has you, it’s also important to remember that high school isn’t the whole story. there is more to this life than the four years of high school you have. Paul declares in Romans 8:28, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them” (NLT). God will use the present time you’re in to shape the future of your story. don’t lose heart.

comparison really is the thief of joy. it’s a cheesy quote, but it’s true. comparing yourself to others is a waste of time, and God made you the way He made you for a reason. why would you put down God’s own creation? do you think you’re better than God? David explains it this way in Psalm 139:13-18

13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
    and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
    Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
    as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
16 You saw me before I was born.
    Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
    before a single day had passed.

17 How precious are your thoughts about me,O God.
    They cannot be numbered!
18 I can’t even count them;
    they outnumber the grains of sand!
And when I wake up,
    you are still with me! (NLT).

Paul says in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” (NLT). you are created in God’s image, you are God’s masterpiece. don’t put down what God created. yes, He made her in His image, but He also made you in His image.

believe it or not, one day you will be twenty six years old, living in a completely new state, surrounded by completely new people. be present where you are, because things will never be the same. it’s okay to look forward to what’s to come, but remember that God doesn’t waste a season.

love,

twenty-six-year old me♡

author’s note-

to the girls who are sixteen, I hope you are encouraged that you are exactly where you need to be, that God has a good & perfect plan for you. maybe other readers aren’t sixteen, but you still needed to hear these things. wherever you are in the story God is writing for you, be kind and gentle to yourself. life is all about learning & growing. we won’t arrive until we’re in heaven, face to face with Jesus.

what would you say to younger you? it’s something to ponder.