Hello, Teenager!

Mama Kat Prompt: If I could tell my teenage self...

1) In twenty years, all the little things you think are so important now won't be.  It really won't matter what you wore or who you knew or what you liked.  Seriously, everything changes and gets so much better down the line because you grow up and mature and start understanding what really matters in life.  And when it all comes down to it what will matter to you will be your God, your family and your close friends, not ridiculous teenage worry drama.

2) In the same vein, it won't matter what people think of you in twenty years, either.  You spend too much time worrying what people in high school think of you.  You're going to hear a great statement from a prof one day: "If I knew how little you thought about me, I wouldn't worry so much about what you thought of me."  News flash: people think of themselves more than anyone else.  So don't worry what people think about you because they really don't think about you much at all.  And if you think you've somehow ruined it, don't worry cause you get a whole new start in college and after graduation.

3) Just stop the obsessions!  Okay, you won't get this one for years, but when you do, you will feel freedom like you never have before.  It's fine to get excited and like a book or movie or TV show, but just remember that all those things are completely FAKE.  The actors and actresses are not their characters, the book world doesn't really exist.  It's a waste of time to spend so much time obsessing about people that aren't real.  The problem is you're missing the real people right in front of you.  There is a real life to be lived.  So, enjoy your entertainment, but make sure you put it in its proper place.

4) You've got one thing going right--your relationship with God.  Keep at it!  Seriously, you may think now that you hate the fact that you are so spiritually sensitive when everyone else around you only cares about clothes and guys, but your spirituality will keep growing.  You'll get over your legalism (hey, you're a teenager, so the world is all black and white, right?), you'll learn to desire God and to pursue happiness with Him.  And trust me, you'll look back and be thankful you stood on the solid rock all the way through high school.  (FYI, you'll go through a time of extreme doubt in college, but you'll reason it out to the other side and it's even brighter over there).

Post Script--You have a self-worth issue.  You've had it all your life as you strive to make yourself acceptable to yourself.  It's going to take depression, some counseling and pills to get you to confront this fact.  Hang in there!  You need to go through all this so you learn what you really are worth to God!