Letter to Myself

Sierra,

            STOP. Stop stressing, stop doubting, stop looking. You are beautiful. You are smart and funny and wise beyond your years. You are a wonderful creation of a wonderful God. Don’t be so hard on yourself. You aren’t supposed to be perfect. You are supposed to mess up, to make mistakes, to be human. Let yourself have those. If not, you will never learn anything and you will never become the woman God has created you to be.

            Being skinnier won’t make you happy. Nor will being smarter, prettier, more entertaining, more fun, or more adventurous. You are YOU, be you. It’s as perfect as you ever need to be.

            Don’t get discouraged, don’t be overwhelmed, don’t give up on yourself. You have worked much too hard to call it quits. God has gotten you through every hardship, every storm, every struggle in your life; do you really think he’s just going to give up on you? Throw in the towel because your problems are just too much to handle? No! “God is not a God who comes and goes, God lasts…”. Remember that every breath you are now inhaling and exhaling is a breath that God is using to say to you “I’m not done with you yet. You are still alive and part of my glorious plan. You’re not going anywhere and, more importantly, neither am I.”

            Breathe. Now, do it again. Keep doing it and remind yourself that with those heartbeats, you have purpose. No friend, man, grade, mentor, teacher, or weight can give you what already lies inside of you: worth. Your life means something even if no one else reminds you. Your heart is beautiful and you are such a servant to your friends. People notice even if they do not say anything. And even when they don’t, you are serving God, not man. He is proud of you.

            Take care of yourself. Build yourself up, compliment yourself, do something you love. Fight for the people you love; yourself included. Don’t be afraid of consistency. Tell people how you really feel, even if it hurts. Trust people; even if they let you down, you will be stronger because of it.

            Lastly, have fun! You are 21 years old, enjoy it! Don’t take yourself too seriously. Laugh whenever possible, and take risks. You deserve a beautiful life, be strong enough to let yourself have it. I love you!

SiJ