Dear Younger Me

I have felt the need to share this for a while but just haven't gotten around to writing it. Bear with me.

As a child, I "got saved" at a VBS. I was baptized but honestly I know in my heart that I had no idea what I was doing. It didn't occur to me until I was older that I probably wasn't really a Christian. Around the age of 13 or 14 (sad I don't remember) I realized that I genuinely wanted to be a Christian and that I needed to properly ask the Lord to change my heart.

I was a good kid in high school. I stayed out of trouble and generally did what I was supposed to do. College was a different story. I did a lot of things that I am not proud of to this day. Finally, I grew up, got married, and changed my ways. Mostly.

Now, I believe all of this time that I genuinely was a Christian - I just lost my way a bit.

In 2015, I got pregnant with Collins after genuinely thinking that Colt was going to have to be an only child. Then we lost her that October. I can honestly say that the next year was the hardest time of my life. I was so angry. Anxiety wrecked my life. I was devastated by someone I depended on and literally hated anything and everything. I was miserable and miserable to be around.

During this time, I was invited to be in a women's discipleship group. I flat out DID NOT WANT TO DO IT. I don't trust other women very easily. Other than family, I can count about 4 that I trust. I came up with excuse after excuse, but finally gave in and agreed.

This discipleship group required lots of Bible reading and lots of journaling and was going to span over the course of a year. Somewhere along month three, I started feeling the walls come down. God began to speak to me through His Word. During this time, our adoption began to move forward and we decided to travel to Uganda as a family.

Most of you know, Uganda ROCKED MY WORLD. It shattered my HEART, but it restored my soul. It gave me purpose to my life. I felt God in a way I never had before. I wanted to make Him proud, to share Him, to give hope to others too.

I know without a doubt that God took my brokenness and mended it all back together in a much better way. He made beauty from ashes.

I am not perfect. I struggle more than I care to admit. I struggle with depression, anxiety, and never feeling like I am enough. I am not skinny enough, pretty enough, kind enough, patient enough. I am not a great friend. I am selfish. I am angry at the past. Gosh, I am a mess.

But I have been redeemed.
I am chosen by the Creator of the Universe.
I am a daughter of the One True King.

I have placed my past, my failures, my resentment at the foot of the cross. It is not mine to carry. That battle has already been won. And that feels GOOD.

This song gets me every time.  Read these words. Take them to heart. ❤

"Dear younger me
It’s not your fault
You were never meant to carry this beyond the cross
Dear younger me

You are holy
You are righteous
You are one of the redeemed
Set apart a brand new heart
You are free indeed

Every mountain every valley
Through each heartache you will see
Every moment brings you closer
To who you were meant to be
Dear younger me, dear younger me"
-MercyMe