*Photo Credit: Pinterest
One week from tomorrow, I will be 20 years old. Looking back on the past few years of my life, I’ve learned a ton. With that being said, if I could go back to my fifteenth birthday, here’s the advice I would give to my 15 year old self:
Heartbreak isn’t forever.
You’re in love.
You’ve never felt this way before. Your emotions are raging, and you’re convinced that your “love story” is something straight out of the movies.
You’re so sure that he loves you, too. You’re convinced that he’s the “one”. That you’ll beat the odds. You have the boy of your dreams, your friends are jealous, and you have everything the world tells you that you need. You made it.
You’ll invest your entire heart, your entire life into this.
But, in a few short months, your whole world will come crashing down. It may feel like you whole world is falling apart, like you are completely hopeless, like you’re losing your grip on reality…
But I can promise that you will heal. I know it’s hard to see that light at the end of the tunnel, but things will get better.
Someday, you will fall in love again. And he will be the real thing. He will love you like you never imagined anyone could love you. And he will be your husband.
Keep pushing on, keep moving forward - the best is yet to come. Your real prince charming is on his way. I promise.
Your parents loves you.
Right now, you feel at war with your parents. They’re constantly lecturing you, getting their hands in your business, and refuse to give you the freedom you want.
But know and remember this – they love you more than you ever imagine.
I know it seems like they are out to ruin your life, but they just want to give you the best. They know what you’re capable of, they believe in you, and they want to see you succeed at whatever you put your mind to.
So don’t be annoyed when they won’t push your curfew to 1 AM, or give you a hard time about that C you have in Algebra. They’re not perfect. They’re people, too. They’ll make mistakes, but they’ll never stop trying.
In a few years, your mom will become your best friend. You’ll tell her everything. And you’ll actually start to love and appreciate her. Your dad will walk you down the aisle with tears in his eyes, and will tell you that you’re the most beautiful bride he’s ever seen.
And they will give you the greatest freedom of all - they’ll let you go.
Don’t take your time with them for granted. Appreciate their love. And learn to love them in return.
*Photo Credit: Tumblr
The world is so much bigger than high school.
Popularity, beauty, and boys seem like they’re everything right now. All you really want is to be accepted by “those” girls, to catch the eye of “that” guy, and to never be caught wearing anything other than Hollister.
You are not defined by any of those things. Your worth and value are so much more than just a pair of jeans and the lunch table you sit at.
The world is a huge place. You’re going to do amazing things. A few years from now, high school will seem like a distant memory. The embarrassments, the pains, the crushes, even the things that you think make you happy will all be forgotten.
Your entire world is about to be rocked.
About three months before your 16th birthday, you will make one of the biggest decisions of your life.
You will give your life to Jesus Christ.
He will change everything. The entire course of your life is different because you decide to go after God.
Make him your priority. He is the only thing in this entire world that will bring you joy and fulfillment. Don’t fight His love for you. Even when you mess up, even when you don’t want to spend time with Him, even when you are tempted to go after things like boys, popularity, vanity, success – you can always come back to Him.
He loves you. He is crazy about you. He thinks you’re beautiful.
And His opinion and love is the only thing that truly matters. Don’t ever forget that.
With love,
Your 20-year-old self
