Dear 16-year-old me,
Why hello, darling! I know, this may seem strange to you, but I have a few things that I feel you should know.
First off, it’s okay to not have a boyfriend. I know, I know. It seems cool to have one, but you JUST TURNED 16. Do you really feel the need to have one that badly? Trust me; it’s totally, 100% okay to be single. There really is a reason why the church has asked that teenagers wait until 16 to do group dates, and 18 to do single dates. But, even though you choose to not follow that advice given, it’s okay. You will eventually learn the joy in not having a boyfriend. You will do things for you, and you will see that you really CAN live without a boy dictating how you feel about yourself.
Second, your parents are really looking out for you. You may not see it that way, but they do love you and only want what is best for you. You are at the age where you think you know everything, and that no one understands your point of view, but trust me. Mom and dad understand more than you think. You don’t have to fight with them over stupid things; they won’t matter in a few years.
Third, there may be some people in the next few years that may do things to you that you never imagined happening. They may find ways to truly crush you and make you hurt in ways that you never thought you could never hurt. Believe me when I say that you will become stronger. You will be able to help those around you feel better, and you will be made whole once again. Trust me, everything will become better for you.
Fourth, YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL! No matter what anyone says to you, or allows you to feel, you are a beautiful Daughter of God, and you will be treated as such eventually. Do not give up hope. Not everyone will treat you in such a poor way as you will be treated within the next few years.
Here is the most important thing that I feel I can tell you. Do not give up, period. I know that there will be times where those things that you learned at Church won’t make sense, or will make you feel horrible. You will make mistakes, and you won’t know how you can ever get back to feeling like you really belong within the Church. Let me tell you something. You will ALWAYS have a place within the Church. Even if it’s a hard road to get back to that feeling, it will happen. You will never feel stronger in the Church than you will after going through all the trials and hardships that I know you will face. You just need to keep in mind that you are a Daughter of God, and He loves you. Even when you were doing all those bad things, He still loved you and wanted to help you. And, eventually, you will see that very clearly. Put your trust and faith in the Lord’s hands. He has a plan for you, and He will help you achieve that. I know that, at times, it may seem easier to go along with what the world wants of you, but that truly isn’t the case. The rules within the Church aren’t there to hurt you, or even to restrict what you can do. Rather, they are there to help you, and to allow you to stay safe.
Follow the rules. Know that it is TOTALLY okay to say no if you really need to. Even if people aren’t happy that you say no, it is okay. You are doing what you feel is right, and that is all that matters. Your life is beautiful, even if it doesn’t seem that way. You need the bad times in order to truly appreciate the good. Remember to pray always. Heavenly Father wants to hear from you, and you will receive the answers to your prayers. Trust me. While there may be crap people that come into your life in the next few years, there will also be so many great, amazing people who you will realize that you never could live without. They will help you more than anything, and will be there for you when you need them most.
I love you. You have become a wonderful person, and I can’t wait to see what lies in the future. Keep your chin up, darling. You will do great things!
Love,
Misao
1 comment:
I love this!!! I saw the Dear 16 year old me video last week and I had been thinking about what I would have said to my little punk 16 year old self! (:
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