Maybe it’s my introspective brain, but I feel like there is something missing to the “10 Year Challenge.”
For those of you who don’t know, the “10 Year Challenge,” is a popular trend where people post on facebook their profile picture from 10 years ago contrasted with their current profile picture. The premise of this challenge is “How Hard Did Aging Hit You?” which is kind of funny and (mostly) harmless.
What if we actually took the time to reflect on how we’ve changed the last ten years? Instead of just laughing at outdated styles, baby cheeks, and hairlines, we instead took an introspective look and asked ourselves: “How have I changed in the last 10 years?” “What would I tell myself then, that I now know?”
I don’t want my next ten years to be measured solely on my physical appearance.
I don’t want to forget what the Lord has taught me these last ten years.
So here’s my #10YearChallenge. I’m writing a letter to the person I was 10 years ago…
Dear Me of Ten Years Ago,
Don’t take yourself too seriously…
People’s Perception of You Doesn’t Matter as Much as You Think it Does.
Yes, I know you felt slightly self conscious popping out of a hedge for your senior pictures. Instagram filters aren’t even a thing yet. Be prepared for people to think you’re younger than you are, and struggle with wanting to be taken “seriously.” Jesus always takes you seriously. He sees you exactly as you are. Nobody else matters in the end.
No One Can Give You Confidence or Hard Work.
Jesus is the source of your strength. Not whether you compete at state, the outcome of college applications, or facing the intense loneliness of not having texting. When you started high school you didn’t even have a cell phone. Now you’re fighting against picking up your smartphone every 5 minutes. Stop searching for meaning in accomplishments and connections. (I’m talking to both of us here).
Healthy Friendship Takes Time, Effort, and Discernment
Beware of “fast friendships” where you spill all of your secrets immediately and later one or both parties are left feeling manipulated. Embrace “slow friendships” where you end up surprised with the depth of vulnerability you have years later.
You Can’t Rewrite History Without Reworking Your Heart.
Quit burning, drowning, or destroying journal entries about boys you end up not liking later down the road or who don’t like you back. Instead, fill those pages with words of affirmation, scripture, and funny cartoons. Actually, you can still burn the pages if you want cause it’s pretty fun. But don’t do it because you’re ashamed or guilty of your feelings. Nobody can do the hard work you need to do on your own heart. Jesus is not in the business of erasing your past, but redeeming it for the future.
Time Spent With Your Mom is Not Wasted.
This next year and a half will be strange for you. You’ll spend more time at home hanging out with your Mom than you’d expect to as a high schooler. You wonder if you’re missing out on anything, but let me tell you the moments you spend with your Mom this year will be precious to you. The bike rides, potsticker Mondays, and sitting on the couch just talking.
I Have a Lot to Learn From You.
I can learn a lot from you actually. I’m facing the same demons you were back then. Letting worry have the final say. Your immune system telling you to slow down as you got sick back to back for all of winter quarter. The only thing that cured you was a missions trip to Poland. Facing the change and embracing it. You identified that you were going to undergo a big change (leaving for college in a couple years) and learned to stop fighting it, or pretending your good grades and Bible knowledge were going to see you through it.
Those lessons are still true.
Thanks,
Katrina (ten years later).
P.S. I’d tell you when to look out for a certain someone, but then I might mess with the “timeline,” and I’ve watched enough tv and movies to know you don’t mess with that.
So, if you want to, go ahead and write a letter to yourself of 10 years ago. It’s a fun exercise to reflect on where you come from and where you’re going next.
“In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps.” Proverbs 9:11