Dear Freshman Courtney,

First of all, congratulations on making it this far! You’ve survived Jr. High! Now…on to high school! You’re going to face some of your greatest and worst moments during this period of your life, so strap your seatbelt and prepare for the ride!

I know how alone you’re going to feel in that art class, but hang in there! You’ll make it through! It can hard to feel that you’re on the outside of things, but it will be that very feeling that will help mold you into the strong, confident person that you’re going to become! It will also help you gain greater compassion for others who have been there.

I also know that you’re struggling in your faith right now. You’re getting older and beginning to wonder how it fits in your current stage of life (Believe me, it does!). You have a lot of questions and are going to spend a great trying to figure out answers to every ideological/political/religious issue under the sun (Because that’s just how your brain works). You’ll find answers to some of those questions. Others, you’re still trying to figure out.

That’s OK! You don’t have to have every single thing figured out about the world around you. But, don’t be afraid to ask questions! That’s how you grow! God can handle the questions; He’s a big God.

And that “grand moment” that you’re longing for will happen, but somewhere along the way you’ll come to find that each and every day you have the opportunity to make a difference. You don’t just have the opportunity to let your light shine and make a difference on stage or speaking in front of a crowd; you have that opportunity each and every day just by living your life. You’ll eventually start your own blog and twitter account, which will give you the opportunity to share you’re thoughts and opinions with the world. Believe me, you’ll get a kick out of that.

I should probably also warn you that the time between Freshman and Junior year is going to spin a little bit out of control. You’ll lose friends, deal with various situations, and struggle to stay strong. But don’t worry! There’s a light at the end of the tunnel (I was there, so you can trust me)! You’ll meet a really nice girl during the summer between 9^th and 10^th grade. You’ll become good friends and grow closer to some of your current friends. You’ll also become friends with a girl from Texas and communicate via video chat. The age of the technology…

It will take time, but you’ll finally move on from all of the stress that hit you in the face during that time period. You’ll begin taking a theater class, which will quickly become your favorite class. You’ll love the craziness and camaraderie, and become good friends with your classmates. You’ll perform plays, act out skits, and laugh a whole lot!

You’ll also start going to a new church and feel very at home there. It will start out meeting in a movie theater and they’ll play really cool Christian electro-music. You’ll walk in and it will feel unlike any church you’ve ever been to. You’ll learn a lot from your new church, Christian blogs, and a really cool online Christian magazine called RELEVANT.

Finally, you’ll arrive here, writing this letter to yourself. You’ll make great friends, gain wonderful opportunities, and have some really cool classes. Oh sure, you’ll have your off days. But, you’ll grow to become confident and outgoing, beginning to see life as God’s story. And, if you had never experienced each chapter before this one, you may never have arrived where you are today.

Sincerely,

2016-Courtney