To my sunshine girls,
There are so many words in this world: competing voices and things you won’t always understand, people who will contradict what you know and believe, letters written on pages that will hurt your feelings. From the time you are old enough to listen, people are giving their opinions. They are offering unsolicited advice and passing judgment on your choices. Don’t listen to them. Believe in yourself. Believe in Jesus. Believe in each other. Believe the words your mama whispered in your ear. Believe the wild stories your daddy spun under sheets. Believe the Bible stories and worship songs that filled your home. Believe the encouragement and correction from your teachers. Believe the smiles and high-fives of your closest friends.
There will be days when you don’t feel like enough and others when you feel like too much. Too fat, too skinny, too soft. Too loud, too proud, too smart. Too everything, too anything. Remember, especially on those days, that you were created. You aren’t an accident. You are here for a purpose. Your dips and dimples and unruly curls are there for a reason. When God knit you together, He picked out every single part. None of them are happenstance. Don’t judge yourself too harshly, you were created in His image.
I don’t want the stories of your childhood to be filled with uninterested parents or uninteresting memories. I want you to know that you were treasured. To remember that we scrimped and saved and made payments on trips we couldn’t afford and things we shouldn’t have purchased, but it was worth it to see your smile. Every tangle and loose tooth and late night practice session was worth it.
I’m not the smartest mama in the world, nor the best. But if there is anything I will teach you in this life, I want it to be this: love is a must, not a maybe. Believe that everyone deserves to be loved and valued and heard. Believe in someone else. Value their experiences even when you don’t understand them. Hear them out when you disagree. Don’t disregard their circumstances. Be their champion and their friend. Don’t judge their heart by their homes or their shoes or their grades. Show them you love them no matter what. No matter what.
Love,
Mom
I’m joining Bailey for Blogtember, where we’ll be linking up daily posts throughout September. Visit Love Bailey Jean to see a list of the prompts and join in!
