I work with high schoolers…the part I love the most is my one-on-one time with my high school girls. Girls I ADORE…but often times I wish they’d let me make their decisions for them. Decisions with guys. Decisions with friends. Instead, I have the complicated job of trying to help them learn how to make their own decisions.

But it got me thinking – what would I tell myself when I was in high school? Particularly my junior year – which is the year of the student’s I’ve been laboring hard over. Here’s a photo of me-junior year…having no idea what kind of crazy roller coaster my life would be::

Oh, so naive! So here’s a note to myself – age 16. What I would say to me if I could. Here goes ::

• You’re much smarter than you believe you are. Trust me. You’ll go on to get your MASTERS. Stop laughing, I’m serious.
• Don’t take that to mean you should study more. You do your work, your teachers love you…and you have friends, work, involvements that are MAKING this season in your life. Those are important. You’re doing great at balancing it all. You should be proud. And learning balance now will benefit you your whole life.
• Drinking isn’t as fun as you think it is. But it’s not the drinking itself that you can’t handle, its about the foolish decisions you will make after you’ve been drinking. If you figure that out now, you’ll like yourself more later on.
• The way you feel about music will never change. It will evoke deep emotion in you that will only continue to grow. You won’t be a DJ , you won’t ever make music…you’ll just live always feeling deeply connected to it.
• Your best friend now will always be in your life. And you’ll need a whole lot of grace from her later – so show her lots now. And don’t pass up times in college when you both are home to see her. You’ll regret it.
• Enjoy EVERY MINUTE of college. And I know you’ll want to get out faster, but you really shouldn’t. You’ll miss out on more time in that apartment that helped you become who you are. And you won’t finish growing up like you need to. But it will all work out either way…trust me.
• Find a way to really love and accept yourself. Now. Please don’t wait…you’ll save yourself a lot of heartbreak and deep wounds if you figure it out now.
• Other people should never get to decide how you feel about you. So stop letting them. The comparison game is never healthy, or productive. BE HONEST AND REAL. It’s not worth trying to be appreciated for something you aren’t. And when people love you for all you are – it will mean so much more.
• Keep being nice. To everyone. You’ll realize, many times over, how deeply the people in your world need that. It’s the very best thing about you. Keep loving them. Keep valuing every person who walks into your world.
• Tanning beds are AWFUL for your skin. Every once in a while for a wedding or something, okay. But for the entire winter cheer season is a whole other thing. Just stop.
• Don’t mess with boys heads-especially the guys you consider friends. Don’t toy with them when you feel lonely…and think it through before you start something with someone you “just aren’t that into”. You’ll burn bridges and hurt people you care deeply for. And you can’t go back.
• Spend as much time with Chris as you can. His friendship is one of the greatest gifts you’ll acquire in high school, and while you’ll continue to be in each others lives for a long time – it will never be as easy as it is now. And you won’t be the same people. You both change. And that’s okay. But appreciate everything he and your friendship are today.
• Speaking of guys, one will come along in college. He’ll teach you lots of amazing things, but it would be wise if you could figure out sooner that things won’t work out. He helps you learn about yourself, he teaches you about what love can look like, and what it shouldn’t. And he’ll break your heart and it will feel like you’re dying. You’re not. You’ll be sad for a while. You’ll miss him for a while. But trust me, he’s not the right one for you.
• Just because a guy is paying you attention – physically or emotionally – doesn’t mean he values who you are. When you know something is wrong, stop doing it. CALL A SPADE A SPADE.
• Take every opportunity to do something new, experience something about yourself or someone else you don’t know. Live this life to the fullest – stop wasting it by worrying.
• Dawson’s Creek is worth that hour of your life each week. It will make you think, help you deal with your teenage life, and you’ll bawl like a baby when it’s over…as sad as that sounds, it gives you a great gift of helping you find yourself.
• I know how much you value your sister now…and it will only get better. You’ll yell at her a few more times, louder than you’ve ever yelled at anyone, but it will always be okay. I guess that’s how family works. At least with you two.
• You’re about to meet Jesus in a way you cannot possibly understand right now. It will effect every major decision in your life from that point forward – and it will be exciting, and dangerous, and so incredibly worth it. Try not to abandon it – even for a short time. You’re called to more – and not for restriction, but for your deep good. I wish you’d hear that now.
• You will finally understand why everyone loves Colorado – and you’ll move there. You’ll marry a man that surpasses all the things on your little “list” – and you’ll start a beautiful adventure together. Do your best to hold out for that, to wait patiently for it. God’s promises are always good – and He’s always faithful. I can’t wait to see where we end up.