You are about to embark upon some of the hardest years of your life. Spoiler alert: you’ll be getting married in ten years. Yes, he’s out there waiting for you. Right now he’s 18. But he’s there and he’ll find you when the time is right. By no means will your life be perfect when you meet and marry “the one,” but you’ve got a lot of heartache and joy ahead of you. You will experience such sadness by the time you’re 18. You’ll lose a friend. She’ll simply reject you because you’re not “cool.” You’ll lose a friend for a season to a Rotary exchange, but she’ll come back and you’ll be close again. In the next eight years you’ll fall in love a couple times, but also have your heart broken. And, you’re gonna break some hearts. You’re gonna call it quits in relationships more quickly, because even though you’re weak, you do know your worth. You’re gonna try and fail a whole lot, but there will be some wins mixed in there. You’re gonna have good grades, you’re gonna work hard, you’re gonna be recognized in lots of areas. You’re gonna be confident and ask for the things you know you deserve.
But friend, you’re gonna have some sadness and loss. You’re gonna feel those feelings differently than others. You’re gonna follow something that ultimately won’t give you what you want and it’s gonna latch into you for another couple decades.
Friend, sister, self. Know your worth. You are worth more than gold or diamonds. You are a jewel, a gem, that cannot be mined by anyone but the one who put that mine into the world. Don’t doubt yourself. Don’t make yourself smaller to please other people. Don’t shirk. Be proud to take up space in people’s rooms, beds, cars, and hearts. The space which you take up is wholly holy.