This morning I saw something that broke my heart. I dropped my son off at middle school and I saw a kid get out of their car, put on their backpack and start walking towards the school. The thing was, this kid’s shoulders were drooped and her head was low, and you could tell it was more than the backpack that was weighing her down.
My heart broke for this kid as her external body displayed the weight of her internal world. Yet I know the next kid behind her who walked with his head up could be feeling the same way yet has trained his outer being to not show the truth of his heavy heart. (I know this from my own experience.)
I am sharing this today because I want every middle and high schooler to know that we understand how these years can be challenging. Layer on social media and now a pandemic, it may seem like an insurmountable feat to get through this season. Yet you can and you will get through this. Step by step, day by day.
Here are things I wish someone had told me back then and/or that I wish I believed. In hearing these, I hope they benefit you.
- Not every thought you have is true.
- You really do matter.
- Gratitude can shift perspective.
- It’s not a weakness to let someone in and let them know you’re not okay.
- There are people who truly care about you and love you for who you are.
- “Your value does not decrease based on someone's inability to see your worth.”
- Ask a close family member or friend to remind you of your true worth when you forget it.
- God is real and has purpose for you.
- Your future self will be so grateful you persevered through this season.
I wholeheartedly wish I could make every single one of you see yourself as the unique person you are who has divine worth.
Even though I can’t make you believe this, I pray you take a step closer to believing this truth, and away from any lies you’ve been believing in its place. So when you walk, your head is up looking forward to your future and the hope that it brings with a heart that believes that you add value and have purpose...because you do
With love and hope,
Shawn
P.S. To every person who is on the other side of middle and high school, I ask you to join me today to reach out to the teens in your life. May we be sure we let them know that we see them, we are here to listen to them, we love them and are not here to judge them. We care about them, and that they never need to navigate these days, or years, alone.
Feel free to share this with any middle or high schooler who may need to hear this.
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope” - Jeremiah 29:11