To the girl…
who doesn’t know what tomorrow holds,
who doesn’t know if she will even live to see tomorrow,
who hides behind a plastic smile every day,
who can’t bring herself to get out of bed to face the dawn of a new day,
who continually searches for belonging but can never seem to fit in,
who longs to be loved but is constantly rejected,
who hides emotional scars that no one ever sees,
who is afraid to let the world see what she has to offer,
who has ever felt insecure, unworthy, unwanted, and unappreciated,
…I hope you know what makes you beautiful.
To the girl who doesn’t know about tomorrow: I have been this girl. I have experienced the anxiety that haunts every thought, every choice, every movement. But darling, tomorrow is a mystery to all of us. I understand that it seems scary. You’re plagued with questions of when, where, and how, yet can never seem to find the answers. Have faith and trust that God does have a plan for your life at that there is a time for every season. This will make you beautiful.
To the girl who doesn’t know if she will live to see tomorrow: I’ve never experienced your pain. I can’t imagine enduring this trial with such grace. Watching you as you fight every day to live, not for yourself, but for those around you has made me want to be a better person. Your constant faith in God even though it seems to take every ounce of strength you never thought you had is truly amazing. The way you live in the present has made me realize that today, this moment, every breath is gift. So please, continue to appreciate the gift that is today, soak in every moment of sunshine, every sound that makes you happy. The thought of departing from this world into the unknown must be one of the most disconcerting feelings ever, but please don’t get stuck in the cycle of questioning God. Think on what is lovely and pure and do not give into fear. This will make you beautiful.
The weight you carry is a heavy one; let someone help you discard it. And if you must cry alone, call out for the very best friend a girl can have: Jesus.
To the girl who hides behind a plastic smile every day for fear of what others might think if they knew her reality: Don’t be afraid to cry. I promise I won’t think less of you for being emotionally vulnerable. There have been times when all I needed was a shoulder to cry on, and while sometimes it was available, other times it wasn’t. When it’s there, sweet girl, take advantage of it. Let someone rub your shoulder. The weight you carry is a heavy one; let someone help you discard it. And if you must cry alone, call out for the very best friend a girl can have: Jesus. If you can’t say any words, it’s ok. He won’t pressure you to say words that you can’t find anyway. And after you cry on Monday, Tuesday might be a little better. But when Wednesday comes and the pain is deeper than ever, don’t be afraid to cry again. Those tears are precious to Jesus, you know. He catches them and saves them. And then after you’ve cried more tears than you ever thought were possible, just know that your smile is so much brighter after those hot, salty tears have washed your cheeks. This will make you beautiful.
To the girl who can’t bring herself to get out of bed to face the dawn of a new day: Oh darling girl. I know that crawling under the blankets and curling up in the fetal position seems like the best option to spend your day. I know that hugging your knees to your chest feels like it’s at least keeping the breaking pieces of your heart from being splattered all across your bedroom floor. I know you can physically feel the pain of your broken heart and that every breath seems to break it alittle bit more. And while I might have even participated in this kind of day once or twice in my lifetime, I promise that in the end, one of the best things you can do to mend your heart is to get up. You might not get very far the first day, but try it. You’ll want to die most likely, but the second day will be just a little easier. The third day you might sip some tea, and by the end of the week, you might even change into clean jammies. It may seem as if life isn’t worth living, but think of the sweet girl above who would give anything to have the certainty of life that you have. Remember that every day God’s mercies are new, His love is everlasting, and He cares about you and how you’re feeling. This will make you beautiful.
Remember that every day God’s mercies are new, His love is everlasting, and He cares about you and how you’re feeling.
To the girl who continually searches for belonging but can never seem to fit in: You were not meant to be a follower, darling. You were meant to stand out in a crowd and make a difference. You’re intelligent, you have what it takes to stand alone if necessary. But if you can grasp that your purpose is greater than the next shopping trip with the girls or a night out on the town, you will be amazed at how much people actually admire you and want to be like you. Use the talents that God has given you to go beyond the status quo, to do more than giggle and gossip with the “in” clique. Prove yourself worthy of the purpose you have been called to. This will make you beautiful.
To the girl who longs to be loved but is constantly rejected: I love you. Who knows why the game of love/dating/relationships is so sticky. If I knew, I’d be happy to share it with you. But unfortunately, I don’t have the answers to why breakups happen and why we fall so desperately in love with the boys we should leave alone. I might not know you, or you might be the one I have in mind while I’m writing. Either way, know that I love you. And even more importantly, Jesus Christ loves you. In fact, He loved you so much that He came to earth to die for you in order that you might spend eternity with Him. Find your solace in Him, let Him be your one, true love and be the One you turn to for the most pure, unselfish, holy love you’ll ever experience. This will make you beautiful.
To the girl who hides emotional scars that no one ever sees: My heart breaks for you. It does, because I have scars too. I know the outside doesn’t always represent what it covers. I realize that while everything looks perfect on the outside, no one would ever suspect that you cry yourself to sleep every night. People constantly look at you and exclaim how lucky you are, how perfect your life is; yet they don’t see the scars you’ve carried around since you were a little girl. They don’t know the trauma you faced, they don’t know your family situation; all they see is a pretty face, a cute pair of shoes, and a happy wave always ready to greet them. Forgive them, darling. In forgiving them for overlooking your pain, you will begin to forgive those who put the scars there in the first place. This will make you beautiful.
Don’t let the fear of failure keep you from doing what you know you were meant to do. Be passionate, be completely devoted to your calling. Go, do, and be all that you have been designed for.
To the girl who is afraid to let the world see what she has to offer: I believe in you. What would the world have been without Queen Esther, the virgin Mary, Queen Elizabeth I of England, Betsy Ross, Clara Barton, Florence Nightingale, Emily Dickinson, Rosa Parks, or Eleanor Roosevelt? Perhaps someone else would have stepped up to the occasion and made a difference, but maybe not. You were put on the earth at this particular time for a reason, for “such a time as this.” Don’t let the fear of failure keep you from doing what you know you were meant to do. Be passionate, be completely devoted to your calling. Go, do, and be all that you have been designed for. This will make you beautiful.
To every girl who has ever felt insecure, unworthy, unwanted, and unappreciated: I hope you know that what makes you beautiful are the not the hours spent at the gym attempting to get the perfect bust, waist, and hip measurements. I hope you know that the hours you spend doing your hair and picking out the perfect outfit for a special event can never compare to the hours spent in private devotions and prayer. I hope you know that what makes you beautiful is how you handle the circumstances that come along and what you do with them. I hope you know that your personal life situations can only make you stronger and that when someone else goes through something similar later on, how you dealt with the pain will be an inspiration to them. I hope you know that the scars of your past will help you to see the beauty of your unwritten future. This will make you beautiful.
I hope you know that every ounce of what makes you beautiful is found within your soul, your mind, your heart, and not the outer appearance that Hollywood puts so much emphasis on. I hope you know that what makes you beautiful are not the circumstances you face. What you go through does not define you. The pain that seems to surround you does not need to determine your future.
I hope you know that your circumstances can never hold any power over you unless you allow them to. While the agony of rejection is terrifying, unsettling, and creates a sense of helplessness, your life does have a purpose. Your broken heart and shattered dreams are all that you can see, all that you can feel; it seems impossible to imagine that there is life beyond the scattered fragments of all you had ever hoped for, and yet in the back of your mind you toy with the possibility that something might still be waiting for you even in the midst of uncertainty.
I hope you know that what you’re going through does not have to be the end. I hope you know that while life isn’t the fairy tale we always hoped it would be and there aren’t any pots of gold at the end of the rainbow, life can still be wonderful, fulfilling, and full of joy. I hope you know that what makes you beautiful are not the lovely things in life. I hope you know that what makes you beautiful is not the perfect shade of pink on your already perfect lips; I hope you know that beauty is not found in a sparkling diamond you want more than anything on your left hand. I hope you know that what makes you beautiful is not the adherence to every fashion trend and outfit-copy from Pinterest; I hope you know that beauty is not determined by whether or not you have a boyfriend at sixteen, engaged at twenty-four, or a mother of three at thirty.
I hope you know that whatever it is that’s keeping you from being completely at peace with who you are right now and how you’ve come to be what you are is not what defines you. Rather, it is what you do in spite of what has happened to you that will define those moments in your life as either a starting or stopping point. I hope you take it as a starting point to make the best of your life.
I’ll be praying for you, darling. And I will be proud of you for being beautiful in your own way.