A Letter for You

I see you there, wondering if you have done enough. Wondering if it will all be enough in the end. I wish you could see you the way I see you.

I see you waking up in the morning and taking that first step out of bed even though staying in bed sounds like a much safer option. I see you facing the hard things, the tantrums, the arguments that come your way before its even 9 am.

You're doing it. You're in it.

I see you learning to take care of yourself in the midst of taking care of all those around you that you care about and love. I am so proud of you for taking time to learn how to love yourself well - and I mean really well! It's been a struggle to get to this point, but you keep taking the steps forward to learn more and to try new things.

You're doing it.

I see you questioning choices you are faced with making throughout the day, some easier and some so difficult you wonder if there is a right answer.

You're doing it.

I see you continuing to love when it would be easier to give up - your children, your spouse, your friends and even people you have never met before. I see you stretching and growing in your own skin - and it is beautiful.

You are beautiful.

I also see the pain you hold inside. The hurts that are hard to forget, the lies that are not easily erased from your memory, the experiences that still hang around in the corners of your mind. You want to know a secret? You are beautiful in these hidden places too. These places of pain may not be beautiful at first glance, it appears with the eye to be a place of brokenness. But look more closely with me. There under the broken bits in your heart and mind something is happening. Something brand new is happening as you stay in it, as you stick with God. Something is growing. Your character, your endurance and your hope are growing every single day. You are growing into the person God created you to be.

The process may not be pretty - and that's ok.

Somedays there may feel like there are more broken pieces than whole pieces - and that's ok.

It may feel like the process is taking forever and you wonder when you will be through it already - and that's ok.

You start to wonder in your heart if God is still with you - and that is ok too.

God does not shy away from you or your process or your doubts. He sees you, He sees your process and He says it is beautiful. This is the process He has for only you to go through. It is your unique story and the result is a unique one of a kind you that cannot be crushed, cannot moved and whose light on the inside comes from God and it cannot be diminished.

You are in it, you're doing it, taking those steps when it would feel easier to give up. Keep going. Keep stepping, one step at a time. You've got this!

I'll be right here cheering you on and stepping right along with you.

With so much love.