letter to a friend

To my sweet friend,

I shared in your frustration over a cancelled date.  I agreed with you that sometimes boys are dumb. For a fleeting moment I saw the pain in your heart when you said you were struggling with your self worth.  I threw out words, "Your worth doesn't come from a boy!"  And though I truly meant those words, I kicked myself for saying trite words that don't really help.  Though my words were true, I'm sure they did nothing to ease the ache in your heart.  They probably only served to convince you that I don't really get it.

So, my friend, I want to write you a letter that you can read over and over when you need to hear truth.  First, I want you to know that you are not alone.  I think every person on the planet has struggled to find worth in the wrong places.  I know that I am guilty of basing my worth on a boys opinion, on my appearance, on my bedroom performance, on my work, on the number of people who show up for one of my gatherings, on the way my house looks or how my children behave on...  well, I think you get the point.  I find myself forgetting far more often than I care to admit that I have value simply because I was created by Almighty God.  Far too often I think I need to "prove" my worth whether to God or to myself or to those around me.

When I said those words to you, I said them with a heavy heart.  I wish you could see what I see.  My heart was heavy when I saw your heart briefly through your words.  You, my friend, are beautiful, inside and out.  I love to hear your raw honesty when we pray, when you have a missions trip coming up, when we have lunch together, when you are planning a triathalon.  I love seeing how the Lord is moving in and through your life.  His grace exudes from every pore of your being.  Your face glows when you talk about how the Lord is moving in your life. 

You are a fabulous mother.  Those boys are blessed to have you.  You love unconditionally.  You have a heart to reach people, and you do indeed reach a vast many people.  You are fun to be around and can always make me laugh.  You bring grace and beauty with you everywhere you go.

I want you to know this, YOU ARE ENOUGH!  You really are.  Your greatest value is in the fact that you ae a daughter of the King.  He created you, He knows you intimately.  He knows the desires of your heart, He placed them there.  As you have been spending time recently hiding yourself in His presence, may He minister to your heart in ways you have never known.  May you feel His arms around you.  May you feel the worth you have in Him.  And may you then take that worth you have in Him into the world instead of the reverse.

I love you, my friend.  You are beautiful.  You are worthy.  You are loved.  You are enough.  And no stupid boy can ever take that away from you!