In 2011, to celebrate my last day of being 33, I posted an open letter to Grace. This post came two years after the vision of her eyes rocked me. It was two years before I met my husband and six years before she was born. Now she is here, and I wonder if I told the truth then.
I’ve edited a bit, but I think I told the truth, and I pray I practice what I preach.
Dear Grace,
It is a truly dangerous thing to be in league with someone insecure. And if that insecure person is you, I recommend you stop moving (as much as you can) until you find that root and pull it out like a weed. This is a hard thing, but so worth it. It is not for you to change everyone you know into a confident and secure person, but you must understand that you cannot ever settle for a life of fear, even if that is the world around you.
In the same sense, do not apologize for one gift that was given to you by the good Lord above. That is like being given a BMW and complaining because you were scoping a Hyundai.
People are going to dislike your beauty, talent, intellect, perspective, location, drive, etc.
People are going to hate the fact that you exist. You can’t help that, but you can go and change the world.
Mimi used to tell me, “They talked about Jesus.”
He said haters would be around, always. He may not have said it that way, but He said it nonetheless. Imagine what it was like for Him, knowing He was the only one to “get the joke,” and commissioned to open the door to let everyone else in on it. He was confident in His message, and in Himself. He had to be.
There is no greater gift or curse than being a confident person (at least that is the way it seems, sometimes). Unfortunately, most of the people you encounter in your life will be insecure. It is this insecurity that drives them. The weird thing is, that insecurity can drive them to do some of the bravest things in their lives (NOT just the dumbest, though that happens often as well).
I pray you hear me and understand how much power you have. Never give it away.
Love,
Mom