Dear Future Self

From this frigid early January day, I don’t know how you’re responding to change and difficulty, and I don’t know what hard things you’re facing, whether they are the ones I expect now, or others that have come as a surprise.

But I do know:

Whatever giants you are facing, God is bigger. He is with you, and His goodness is bigger than you know. You are loved and known, not forgotten and invisible.

As things shift and change, I hope you remember:

God never changes, and He will not change His mind about you. Your stability does not come from your plans or your ability to manage things so that everyone in the world is comfortable,

safe, and happy.

Your value is not from being needed by others or from everything staying the same. Change is natural.

The great story of your faith, the story you see in the Bible and nature, is that life comes from death. You can embrace everything that feels like death right now. You can release the things that are ending, the chapters that are ending, the seasons that are over—everything that falls to the ground like seeds, and trust the new life to make things grow, even from the things you spoke every time you are into being.

Is this hard? Yes. But you can do hard things. Don’t try to do them by yourself, and don’t pretend to be stronger than you are. Say a prayer, go for a walk, choose gratitude, take a nap, ask for help. Hard doesn’t mean you’re on the wrong path.

Let these changes bind you to the God who calls you by name, the Father whose arms are strong enough to hold you, whose heart will never leave you, and whose Spirit has been your breath. He will not fail you.

Indeed, he will not fail you.