I was getting ready for my day one Saturday in February and I was thinking about how I was going to help do security at our church for a Secret Keeper Girl event that evening. SKG is an event that’s for tween girls and their moms. I was remembering my tween-aged years and just how awkward it was. You see, I was a bit of an ugly duckling. I had friends, but I had some enemies as well. I was picked on because I was one of just a couple only children. Like my son today, I was very confident in the fact that I was well-loved in my family circle. I wasn’t prepared for the dog-eat-dog world of middle school. All these thoughts came rushing back to me and I was running around the house trying to find a pen to write this letter to my tween-self.
Dear Sandy:
The first thing I want to tell you is that those kids who said you were too fat, had a big nose, were too loud, too talkative, selfish, spoiled, had hair that was too short, you looked like a boy, and whose breasts were too big, they don’t matter. Unfortunately, they will help form who YOU think you are, but they will be wrong.
You will make many mistakes along the way and even do things that you know are wrong to try to get people to like you. But they aren’t the people that will matter to you when you get older. Say no to those things so that you don’t look back as an adult and shake your head, knowing that you didn’t need cave into the pressure.
No matter how awkward you feel now, how picked on, how beat down or discouraged, take heart that life WILL get better. You find a marvelous man, who will marry you because he loves you and sees past all of the surface stuff. He will be the light of you life and the reason for you to live such a happy life. The two of you will have such a beautiful boy. A child that makes your heart just overflow with love. You’ll have the opportunity to bless others and be blessed on your job; to be God’s hands and feet.
One cool thing that will be that those people who said those things about you, they’ll become acquaintances and friends thanks to time healing those old wounds. You’ll learn that they were hurting during those years too. You’ll learn some dark ugly things that were going on in their lives. The best part is, you’ll be able to forgive them. You’ll be able to move on and live a great life. You will grow into the beautiful woman of God that was His desire for you to be.
For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. ~Jeremiah 29:11
