Pack this note like a guidebook in your bag. Pull it out as you decorate your space. Read in between the lines and see if you can find yourself here in these words, sharing a Starbucks or a smoothie with me.
I’m not your mom. Or your friend’s mom. I’m just a girl who’s hiked the quad in those same chunky sneakers.
I was the girl with bad skin. So I woke up early to wash my face and layer the foundation before my roommate’s alarm clock went off.
I was the shy girl, who didn’t speak up. Who studied books but not enough of my Bible.
I was the lonely girl, who traded courage for contentment in things that didn’t really matter.
I graduated with honors.
I got a full time job in the field I planned for.
I felt accomplished, but I didn’t feel like a prize.
You see, from the moment I stepped into that newfound independence, I struggled to really be set free.
I compared. I cared what others thought and listened to what music dared and what the stores taught me to wear.
I decided blending in was better than standing out.
Girl, don’t blend in.
Don’t take even a semester off from knowing and owning your identity in Christ.
You can be strong. And courageous. And different.
Yes, you can.
This message isn’t about any guilt I’m carrying on my shoulders. But instead, it’s the gratitude. Because God is so faithful, and He is never far.
And when you walk on that new campus, He wants to be even closer. Life is always better when He is closer.
Don’t be the girl who forgets WHOSE she is.
Don’t feel less than. Don’t feel greater.
Don’t trade the truth for the lies.
Be the Princess you are. The King’s beloved daughter.
And remember me. Remember when you’re pressured or feeling a little overwhelmed or a little lost.
Remember lessons learned and that somewhere out there, I’m cheering you on.
When you fall, get back up.
Be the girl who lives in freedom today. The kind of freedom you won’t regret.
(Mommys15Minutes, Jaclyn Warren)
Share this:
