A Letter to My Teenage Self

Do you ever wish you could go back in time and give life-changing advice to your younger self? Wouldn't it be nice if we could?
What would you say?
Would you want to change anything?
I have a lot I would want to say, but I probably wouldn't actually change a thing. Our experiences, no matter how hard they are/were, shape us into who we are now. But, for the sake of this post, let's pretend we could time travel and communicate with our younger selves, without changing any of the huge milestones.
This brings me to my letter to my seventeen-year-old self:
Dear seventeen-year-old Ashley,
Hey, what's up? I know you're busy trying to have a life and will probably take this all with a grain of salt, (you're pretty stubborn!) but I wanted to talk to you. There's some things you should know about yourself that I know you haven't figured out yet.
Stay true to your uniqueness. Right now you don't really think about what most girls wear, because you're going through your "skater girl" phase and you don't care. That will change, but please don't lose what makes you stand out. That confidence you have will lessen and you will let your insecurities get the best of you at times. It's interesting to look back at your life in comparison to mine. There are so many things that are different, but some things are still the same as well.

Chucks with a big poofy dress.

Both times. :-)

That boy you're seeing? He is lost. You won't be able to fix him. He's NOT the one. The things he says to you does NOT define you and you deserve better. I know, he has his good moments, but are those moments really worth the tears you cry every night when he makes you feel bad about yourself? You think it's love, but I promise you, it's far from it, girl. When your relationship ends, you're going to struggle, but that struggle will help you learn what you SHOULD be looking for in your future boyfriends.
Yep, boyfriendssss. There will be more than one (some good for you, then a few more who aren't...) before you find a husband. Yep, you get one of those too...but more about him later. (I could write a novel about him!) For a while, you're going to let your life revolve around boys. You're going to think you're actually in control of finding the man of your dreams. You're going to find love, and I won't tell you how many times. And when each of those relationships end, you're going to have to learn how to pick yourself back up and start over with someone new, each time. You CAN, and you WILL! But, not without help. Don't. Forget. About. God.
Just because you're going to a Christian college does not mean that you're free and clear to control your own life. That's not enough. You NEED God to be part of it. I know it will be your first time living away from home, but that doesn't mean you need to rebel against everything you've been taught. But, keep in mind, you will use every experience as you turn into....well, ME!

So, remember that husband I mentioned? Yeah, I know how eager you are to hear about and meet him. Well, you've already met him. I won't tell you who he is, because that's what made our relationship so interesting. But, in a few years, you're going to make a checklist. It will have all your requirements for a husband someday. And, as quirky as some of them will be, he meets them all. :-)

He will come into your life at a time when you least expect it. I really do believe God has a sense of humor sometimes. He will bring him to you after your heart has been shattered and glued back together again many times. You'll be so surprised that this man WANTS to learn about your faith and may have a hard time believing it. But, it's real. You'd never guess that you'll marry him before you've even been together for a year. You'd never guess that he'll be the incredible father of your children. God is SO good to you, girl, and you don't even realize it.
You have some of the most amazing parents around. Right now, you don't see it at all, because you think they're the enemy; but as you get older, you'll start to see things from a different perspective and your relationship with them will change, for the better! You'll see that your mom is your best friend in this world. She will be your role model as you grow into your Christianity. She is SO knowledgeable about the Bible and you will learn a lot from her. Your dad works SO hard to keep you and your brother comfortable. He's one of the most reliable people I/you know. He works long hours doing hard work, and some of that hard work will have to increase to help you pay for your private university later. You won't TRULY appreciate him, though, until 2015, when something unexpected happens. It turns out okay, but it sure will be a shift in perspective for your family. Unfortunately, your family will deal with that more than once, beforehand, but God is with you, hearing your prayers.
Please know that God ALWAYS hears your prayers. I'm still working on that, even now. I know that someday, His answer is going to be "no" and I will have to learn to accept it and move forward. But He always has a plan, no matter what hardship you are facing. Put your trust in Him, and always, ALWAYS, believe that He's in control.
The friends you have now? You won't forget them. The memories you're making now will stay in the back of your mind as you grow apart. You'll look back on them fondly and whenever you cross paths with those friends again, it will be as though time hadn't passed. But you're also going to make new friends, in college. In our case, it's true what they say about college friends being your lifelong friends. During the next few years, you will connect with all of your future bridesmaids. These girls will be there for you during some of the hardest heartbreaks you've got coming up, and you will learn what lasting friendship is.

You're going to love this world, WAY more than you should. But it's not your home. You have to work, every day, to claim your spot in Heaven, with God. The people and things you have here should never be your top priority. Your top and utmost priority should always be GOD. Even at thirty-one, you'll still be struggling to do this. You're going to have beautiful kids. Those beautiful kids are going to take all of your mental and physical energy, but you HAVE to put God first. He will be the One giving you those beautiful babies and you have to give them to Him, because they're not just yours; they're also His. You're mothering those babies and doing your best to raise them into good, wholesome, Godly people. Someday, in both of our futures, those babies are going to leave home and go out into the world as adults. You'll have to prepare them and you'll only be able to do that if you are strong in your faith as well. You have to be their example.

Someday, we all will have to answer to our Creator. The time cannot be known and we need to be ready. So study, learn, listen....take it in and use the knowledge to encourage others to do the same. You DO make a difference. You have purpose. Don't forget.
With love,