Letter to myself

I was flipping through radio stations the other day, and *gasp* I landed on a country station for a few songs.  One song was about writing a letter to your past self.  It made me think – If I was able to write a letter to myself at 17 or 18 or 19 years old, what would I say?  It would probably be something like this:

             On Friends:  Don’t let your friends dictate what’s “normal”.  Don’t allow ANYONE to extinguish your dreams, because the older you get, the harder it is to reignite them.  Those friends you think are so cool right now?  They’re digging themselves into a rut, and 10 years from now they’re going to be plain old white trash – harsh, I know, but true.  Learn when to stop giving a friend second chances, and don’t be afraid to go out and meet people instead of waiting for them to approach you. 

             On Roommates:  Be careful.  Make sure your name is on the lease.  When you give them money to pay a bill, make sure they pay it.  When the landlord pounds on the door because your roommate refuses to turn down the radio, hide.  Don’t buy furniture together.  Don’t cosign on anything!!  Put a lock on your door so they don’t steal your stuff while you’re gone.  Without fail, 3 weeks after you move in with someone, you’ll realize they’re insane.  Don’t try to be close friends with your roommate – keep it to a business arrangement.  You’ll save yourself the embarrassment of being caught in the car with your roommate on her “Tuesday night stalking” trips.  Really, the best advice I can give is that living by yourself is really kind of nice – and you don’t have to worry about other people using your razor.

             On Relationships:  You know that person you think you can’t live without?  You can, and you will, and it won’t be fun for a while, but you’ll survive.  Stop thinking that it’s normal to get married before you’re 25 – you’ll be shocked by how many of your friends will end up divorced because they wanted to get married at any cost.  End relationships because you don’t have common or compatible goals, or you aren’t being treated respectfully, or because you’ve become isolated in the relationship and realize that you never see your friends anymore.  Don’t ever end a relationship just because he brings up marriage and it spooks you – you’ll always wonder “what if”.  And, no matter what advice your friends give you, never ever ever play games with someone’s head or heart.  Not smart.

             On School:  Don’t give up, don’t skip classes, don’t be intimidated and listen to your advisor.  Don’t be afraid to change your major, just keep at it.  And, I know you probably won’t listen to me about this, but when your mom says it’s not a bad idea to go to Faith for a year before you go to UW, listen to her.  You’ll probably regret it later.  But, you’ll need to figure out this next part first…

             On God:  God is very real – I know you don’t “feel” it right now, but He is.  You have Christians in your life right now that make you feel like a failure as a Christian because you don’t fit the mold, and sometimes you break the rules.  Don’t allow them to be the barometer of your Christian walk – don’t allow them to discourage you to the point that you give up on God because you feel like you’ll never be perfect.  God doesn’t want perfect people – they don’t need to be saved.  God wants you, wherever you are, to seek Him first – not your church, not your school, not your desire to “fit in” with Christian friends.  Only Him.

So that’s my letter.  What would yours say?