Day 11 - Keep Hope Alive, Surprises Are In Store

Letters to my teenage self 

A Devotional for Trauma Survivors 

Day 11 - Keep Hope Alive, Surprises Are In Store

Dear teenage self, 

You have much to offer the world, yet you refuse to shine your light. I understand that you feel depressed, hopeless, and suicidal. You feel there is no hope for change and you are stuck in your current circumstances. Being a teenager is really hard. To quote Britney Spears, you're "not a girl, not yet a woman". That is a hard place to be. Yet there is power within you, waiting to be harnessed.

No one can take your faith from you. No one can steal your hope unless you allow them to. That sounds infinitely easier to say than to put into practice. It is. But you're not alone. You have the Holy Spirit, Jesus, and God the Father with you. They will never leave you, nor forsake you. They will give you the strength you need to carry on.

When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken.

+Psalm 34: 17-20 (ESV)

There will come a time in your life when you're able to look back at this time and see all that the Lord had His hand in. You'll look back, amazed at all that you survived, and you will give thanks. The way you feel right now is temporary. Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. If you delete yourself from humanity today, you'll never see what your future could be. You'll never experience the freedom of adulthood. You'll be lying by saying to the world and yourself that God is not enough. He is. He absolutely is. 

This photo was taken 12/27/2023. You went to NYC 04/12/2024. At the time this photo was taken, you had no idea your lifelong dream of visiting NYC would occur. This is just another example of having hope for things unseen in the future. Keep moving forward. The Lord has so many good things waiting for you! 

  

Let's Pray

Dear Lord, I pray in Jesus' name that You would forgive me for the times I've focused more on my current circumstances than Your goodness. Sometimes I get so caught up in my feelings, that I forget the Truth. You are enough. You are everything. In You, I live and move and have my being - my reason for living. I love You, Lord. Amen. 

Stay tuned for another episode. See you next time! And remember, if you or a loved one is in danger, get help immediately, and don't stop talking until someone acts on your words.

National Domestic Abuse Hotline: 800-799-7233 Hours: 24/7. Languages: English, Spanish, and 200+ through interpretation service. SMS: Text START to 88788

National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673 Hours: Available 24 hours. https://www.rainn.org/

988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Hours: Available 24 hours. Languages: English, Spanish. https://988lifeline.org/

In Christ alone our hope is found

Run, don't walk for help! You're worth it.

 

 

 

Day 10 - You Can Do Infinitely More Than You Believe You Can

Letters to my teenage self 

A Devotional for Trauma Survivors 

Day 10 - You Can Do Infinitely More Than You Believe You Can

Dear teenage self, 

You can do infinitely more than you believe you can. Stop allowing others to dictate your ability, worth, and level of intelligence. Teenagers will often underachieve to fit in. You were never meant to fit in. You were born to stand out, and that's not bad. 

Say no when your friends ask you to hang out and do things you know you're not supposed to do. No is a complete answer. You owe them nothing else. When you're reading your Bible in the hallway, and kids walk by, making fun of you, keep reading. Don't answer their taunts. You're doing nothing wrong. 

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 

+2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)

So often, you're afraid that if you say no, you won't have any more friends and will be all alone. Is that really true? Or will the bad company simply stop influencing you, and God will send His people into your life to befriend you? Do you not trust the God of the universe to provide what you need and set things right? It doesn't all fall on your shoulders, dear one. 

Sometimes, you start a really big project that will benefit your present and future, but when someone questions your ability or your process, you give up and abandon the project. You do this out of fear that you are already doomed to fail. How do you know unless you complete the project? Maybe you needed this for more than just the end result. Try again. 

Let's Pray

Heavenly Father, I go with the flow of those around me far too often because I am afraid of opposition. I'm afraid of being made fun of, left behind, and alone. In the midst of submitting to peer pressure, I'm sinning against You by not doing the things You have asked me to do. I am sorry, Lord. Please show me the changes I need to make in my life and open doors for new and healthier friends to come into my life. Thank You for giving me a spirit of power, love, and sound mind to do what You've called me to do. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen. 

Floor 102 of the Empire State Building. 04/14/2024 
Another thing you thought you could never do, but you did.

Stay tuned for another episode. See you next time! And remember, if you or a loved one is in danger, get help immediately, and don't stop talking until someone acts on your words.

National Domestic Abuse Hotline: 800-799-7233 Hours: 24/7. Languages: English, Spanish, and 200+ through interpretation service. SMS: Text START to 88788

National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673 Hours: Available 24 hours. https://www.rainn.org/

988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Hours: Available 24 hours. Languages: English, Spanish. https://988lifeline.org/

In Christ alone our hope is found

Run, don't walk for help! You're worth it.