Dear Younger Me (You Are Not What You Do)
Dear Younger Me,
You are not what you do. Your value is so much more than that. There will come a time where you need to take a step back and rest from some of your responsibilities. I don’t think you have really realized how much you have tied your worth to the things you can do. You might believe that if you had to leave your job, you’d be fine, but when you really take a step back, you will see how much you find worth in what you do.
And as hard as it is to let some of these things go, stick it out, girl. You’ll find that there is freedom in resting from those things for a time, but you’ll find that people will surround you and remind you that you are so much more. You are valuable because you are you. You are valuable simply because God made you. You are loved even when you can’t keep up. You are loved even if you can’t do what you’re good at doing. God equips you for good works, yes, but His first act was creating you.
Allow God to take you to the still waters, and allow Him to restore your soul. Allow Him to carry your burdens, that you might find rest from those burdens, but also rest in Him and His love for you that isn’t measured out by the work you do.
Love,
Megan
Dear Younger Me,
Oh, honey, if you could only know how fearfully and wonderfully made you are. You struggle so much to see it, but there is such beauty in how God designed you. Read Psalm 139. He saw you while you were being made. He intricately wove you together and saw you before anyone else ever did. Just the simple fact that you exist is a beautiful thought because that means God thought to make you and wanted you. Your spirit is one He wanted to love. And He thinks about you all the time.
It is so easy to compare your beauty to others and to desire what others have. But I just so wish you would know and stand with confidence in the loveliness of your own design. Yes, you do have flaws because you live in a broken world, but even still, hear God’s whisper, “I’ll still take you with all your failures and flaws.”
And even with your personality and character, God put together a mix in you no one else has. You have the tendency, as others do, to scrutinize your mix. I wish you wouldn’t. I wish you would see and really dig into the beautiful parts of your character.
You are so loved, you are so so loved. You are God’s daughter, Jesus’ sister, and goodness, to think about how God thinks about you. Walk and live and breathe in that love, sweet one.
Love,
Megan
Dear Younger Me,
Oh, the pain your heart has been in. You’ve listened to the lies for far too long. You’ve believed words about yourself and how to live life that have locked you up and left you hurting. If I could turn back time and teach you this lesson to save yourself the heartache, I would, because you’ll find yourself broken someday under the weight of it all. And I can’t do that, but I can tell you that that’s not how life was intended to be – Jesus came for you to live in freedom from all of it.
Look at all the lies you’ve ever believed and why you’ve believed them. When you do, you’ll find how unnecessary it was to carry those burdens. Then write your truths (God’s truths) to counter those lies. Tape them in your room, and read them often. Then destroy the lies – burn that piece of paper if you have to. Watch them disappear, remembering that that’s what Jesus came for – to bring life from ashes, to make all things new, to redeem and restore. It’s a freeing feeling.
And no, it’s not easy to leave those lies where you left them. You have to learn to stop picking them back up and leave them in that pile of ashes. Because Jesus intends for you to live a life of freedom, of abundance, of joy, of hope, of peace, and of love as His dear child.
Because all those truths you’ll write for yourself come down to this: you are so loved by God your Father. And that’s what matters most.
Love,
Megan
Dear Younger Me,
Hey, you. Glory is still to come.
I wish I had all the right words to tell you that could give you the direction and the peace you desire. I wish I could tell you everything about how life is going to be so you could know exactly what steps to take or what decisions to make to get there. That wouldn’t be faith, though. Hold onto God’s hand as He leads and know that what you are going through now will never compare to what God has in store. Remember that promise found in Romans 8 that God has glory that will be revealed later. Your struggles now will pale in comparison. Choose to believe that God has a future in store for you that you could never imagine, and I’m sure you can point out some of those beautiful things right now that He’s put in your life that you never could have imagined.
Remember that God completes what He starts, and the story doesn’t end with ashes. Psalm 71:20-21 says, “You have allowed me to suffer much hardship, but you will restore me to life again and lift me up from the depths of the earth. You will restore me to even greater honor and comfort me once again.” Right now, I know your prayer is that God would just restore you to life again and you could care less about having greater honor – you just want to be restored that bad. Yet, hold on to the promise that God is a Restorer and Redeemer, and choose to believe that glory is still to come.
Love,
Megan
Dear Younger Me,
If you were perfect, you’d have no need for God’s grace and the beauty of His love for you. Take the story of the woman in Luke 7. She was known for being a sinner, and yet, she took a very expensive gift to Jesus and gave it to Him along with her whole self, weeping at His feet. The story would look a whole lot different if she was a perfect woman. You wouldn’t see the beauty of Jesus’ grace to her. She wouldn’t fully appreciate it or experience Him and His love. Even though she was broken, Jesus welcomed her, forgave her, and saved her.
It’s another story where Jesus’ power was made perfect in weakness. Why, then, would He ask you to be perfect, when He just wants you to rely on Him, when He wants to show you His power, when He wants His grace to reign in your life?
Bring your whole self and lay it down. Take it all to Him. I know you struggle with surrendering, but sweet one, I hope you would learn to surrender daily. As you struggle to hide all your broken pieces, Jesus sees you and loves you in your mess, and saves you from it.
Then, as the Luke 7 woman did, respond in love.
Love,
Megan
Dear Younger Me,
Stand firm. Isn’t it just what the enemy wants when you’re spinning in your doubts and fears? Or when you can’t let go of the mistakes you’ve made and accept grace?
You’re too competitive for that, my dear. You let the enemy win way too many times, and that’s not God’s design for you or anyone. And knowing you and how you want to win, I hope you see that you don’t have to allow yourself to be defeated.
Don’t let the enemy have his way. I know there are times when standing firm seems like the hardest thing to do, but if you learn to recognize those moments, you’ll learn you need to hold up your shield. Take your thoughts captive. Insert truth. Stand firm. And do it again.
In Revelation 3:11-12, it says, ‘“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown. All who are victorious will become pillars in the Temple of my God, and they will never have to leave it…”’
Hold onto your crown, precious daughter of the King. As you do your best to stand firm now, remember that one day you’ll get to stand firm in the most beautiful place.
Love,
Megan
Dear Younger Me,
There’s a quote that says God’s not going to keep you from anything that will make you more like Jesus. So, when it’s so hard to see the good, and all you can see or think about is every failure and mistake, you have to know that your story is not over yet. He’s not going to stop until you’re all He has envisioned and planned for you to be. Trust that the God who loves you and created you is going to finish what He started in you, as it says in the Bible. It’s not going to be easy or painless, and it might not be quick, but as your story unfolds and you walk through seasons in which it’s so hard to hold your head up, God is working on you.
Hold to what is good. Believe that you will see God’s goodness after the battle. Believe that with God, you can endure and conquer the trial, knowing that you will be more refined as a result. Choose to believe that God, as your Father, delights in you, and while you may question why He would allow hurt and pain if He delights in you so much, understand that He can’t allow you to remain the same.
If your heart was pierced with a thousand thorns, and God removed them all at once, your heart wouldn’t be able to hold itself up because it would be weak from all the holes. But, as God removes the thorns, each one in its time, the holes can heal and strengthen, and, stronger because of it, you can be ready for the next one to be removed.
Hold on, okay? It hurts sometimes. But God’s got the arms of a Shepherd, and your Father loves it when you hold His hand.
Love,
Megan
Dear Younger Me,
You are stronger than you know. I know all you see is weakness right now and every single way that you fall short. I know you see every mistake and everything that isn’t right and every way you don’t measure up, but if you only knew what others see in you, you’d know you have a strength in you that you can’t see.
As you wrestle with yourself, your strength enables you to keep showing up. As you push forward in challenges that seem impossible, your strength and tenacity grow. As seasons of transition come and you’re not sure how to stand on your own, your strength will also begin to rise. And when you look back at your life, you’ll see the hard seasons did so much to teach you and grow you into someone who is strong. For example, all those sprints that are a part of your training for sports leave you feeling weak, right? In those moments, you don’t feel strong at all, but when you look back at the season and think about the strength you started with, you’ll realize all that sprinting and training grew you.
That hard season will test you but you will find yourself stronger and better for it. And at each step, it is my hope that you’ll hold on to these words from Psalm 59:17, “O my Strength, to you I sing praises, for you, O God, are my refuge, the God who shows me unfailing love.” When you see no strength, remember Who is.
Love,
Megan
Shine.FM Concerts & Events Coordinator Kyla (also one of my best friends!) shares words for her younger self this week! Her advice is gold, and I’ve watched her live this out and change the world around her! -Megan
Dear Younger Me,
Hold strong. When the weight of the world and the pressures of a comparison-based culture become too heavy, cling to the one who is unchanging. As followers of Christ, we are called to be counter-cultural, but this is much easier said than done. When you are tempted to compromise who you were created to be (at the expense of what the world claims you should be), take heart in knowing that God created us for goodness and wholeness despite the brokenness of this world.
That said, simply show love. This world doesn’t need another judge or referee to declare what and who is right or wrong…this world simply needs a little more love. Embody love to the best of your ability – continue smiling at strangers in passing, holding doors open for others, offering hugs where words fail, being present and intentional with your peers, and offering a listening ear when possible.
My final advice to you is to strive to be a world changer, not a girl who lets the world change her. Judgment-free love, unabashed kindness, and Christ-like compassion are revolutionary concepts on this side of heaven, and are simple ways that you can take steps to be a world changer. Hold strong, my dear, you have been called and equipped for great things.
Love,
Kyla
Dear Younger Me,
Let your soul rest in God. He’s the Shepherd who can carry you in His arms (Psalm 28:9). He’s the One who says, “Come and talk with me” (Psalm 27:8). He’s the One who is for you. He’s the One who says that worrying can’t add a single hour to your life. He’s the One whispering, “Do you trust me?”
Your heart and your mind can so easily be consumed by fear, doubt, shame, and worry, but you don’t need to stay in that place when you’re invited to lay it all down at the feet of Jesus.
Psalm 62:1 says, “Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him.” Choose His rest. Allow yourself to embrace His truth and promise that He’s got you. Choose to see that even in the wind and the waves, His love is evident and rest can still be found in Him.
Matthew 11:28 says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Come again, come again, come again to the One who gives rest.
Love,
Megan
