A Letter to Myself

I recently graduated from high school, which in and of itself is an exciting and somewhat overwhelming achievement. The idea of facing an even bigger school next year when I attend university was beyond daunting. I was basically certain I would literally die before I completed my first semester.

In my Young Women's group at church, my youth advisor asked each of the graduated seniors to take five minutes to talk about what we wish we had known when we are twelve. This experience made me realize that there was a lot I had learned to prepare me for college. I began to think of lessons I learned each year of junior and senior high that aren't just things that I alone struggled with, but challenges most young people struggle to learn. I wanted to share these.

7th Grade - Emily, you are done with elementary school. Going to junior high may seem scary, but worry not. You are never left to fend for yourself. There are so many adults who are there to look out for you. You have friends, teachers, counselors, and parents who will not let you fail. Literally, I don't think your mum would ever allow you to actually fail a class. But most importantly, you have the Savior. Don't forget to be yourself. You are the best person you can be. You don't need to pretend to be cool. You are enough.

8th grade - You've learned the basic idea of how to get through junior high, and you've learned it wasn't that bad. This year, I want you to remember who your friends are. There are plenty of people that are viewed as popular, but you don't need to be popular to be happy. Don't try to force yourself into a friend group. Find people who share your interests and who make you feel happy. You are surrounded by so many good people. Try looking in a place you wouldn't expect. Good friends are so important!

9th grade - Listen to your mom when she says there may be classes that many people have HATED! She has pretty good resources a lot of the time. If the vast majority didn't like a class, that's a pretty good sign that you shouldn't take it. Grades count now, but it's not always about taking classes that fit requirements. You have lots of options. Take what will help you long term. Maybe a ballroom dance class? Or creative writing? Your options are endless.

10th grade - Hey, you've made it to high school! Congratulations! You'll still find that just because you are at a new school, things still aren't dramatically harder. It's still baby steps. Because of this, get involved! Join clubs! This is a once in a life time opportunity! Try HOPE Squad or Spanish Club! So what if you miss a lunch period or two with the same people? This is a once in a life time opportunity! Take it!!

11th grade - Junior year. Time to get down to business. This year you've got the ACT, AP Classes, and a lot of responsibilities. Remember it's not essential to get 100% all of the time. Know when you've reached your limit and be able to say no. If you aren't happy, why are you doing any of this? Physical, mental, and emotional health are the most important.  Also, you're finally realizing that high school does in fact end and friends graduate. Cherish the time you have with these people, but remember that it is not the end. These people are not dying. If someone is important, you will see them. The important ones stick around.

12th grade - YOU ARE SO CLOSE!! Keep going!! Emily, I know last year was a struggle for you. I know you are scared to push yourself that far again. But don't forget all that you can do! You have so much potential. Go out for the school play, or go see it a million times if you don't. Try everything! This is senior year. Spend time with friends. Do well in school, but don't sacrifice irreplaceable memories for a couple points extra in a class. Do crazy things! Kiss a boy, buy a watermelon, make friends with someone you thought was too cool for you. You have so many options! Have fun!

Each year, I learned new things that helped me get through my public school experience. But most of all, I learned that it is important to rely on our Savior, Jesus Christ. He alone can help you through anything. Sometimes life is tricky, but if you look for the lessons you've learned before, there very well might be the answer to help you keep moving forward.

Knowing Our Worth Through Christ

As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, learning to become more like Christ is a topic of great importance to me. It's a task each of us continually work towards or away from each day for our entire lives.  Repeatedly in the New Testament we are commanded to be like Christ, but it always seems so overwhelming. How are we supposed to be perfect all the time like Christ was? It's daunting, but it doesn't have to be.

We are commanded to be perfect, even as Christ is perfect. However, the word "perfect" in Greek--which is the language much of the New Testament is written in--can also be translated to mean complete or whole. To be perfect is to make ourselves more complete, which we can only do relying on God throughout our entire lives. What I'd like to talk about is what we can do to get closer to finding our completed self, while recognizing we will not be "perfect" all the time in this life.

It has always stood out to me in the scriptures how many attributes of Christ that we seem to overlook. But if we are supposed to become like Christ, aren't these attributes just as important? What are attributes of Christ? He was kind, he was patient, he was humble. Are not all these things we can do?

Easter Sunday is just around the corner, so today, I was reading about the first Easter Sunday--Christ's resurrection. In John 8, Mary Magdalene comes upon where the Savior had been buried and finds He is no longer there. The story reads, "11 But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre,

12 And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.

13 And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.

14 And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.

15 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.

16 Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.

17 Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.

18 Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her.

(John 20:11-18 http://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/john/20?lang=eng)

There are so many beautiful things we can get out of this story, but I'd like to focus on one. As I was reading this, the phrase that stuck out to me was "Go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God."

This is powerful. By saying this, Christ reminds Mary that she is a daughter of a perfect God just as much as He is a son of God. Likewise, Christ respects God just as much as Mary and the rest of us have been commanded to do. Christ who was perfect, shows the same respect to God as each of us has been commanded. This is because Christ recognizes His own divinity as well as each of ours. He knows how important He is and all of us are, but he also knows no matter how important to our Father in Heaven we are, we must show respect to Him because He is our Father and because He is perfect and knows each of us perfectly. Jesus Christ knew who He was. This is one attribute of Christ that all of us can work towards without being overwhelmed.

In this story, Mary represents what each of us can discover if we learn how to recognize our divine nature. At first, she did not recognize the Savior. However, when he said simply her name, she knew who He was. She was able to recognize herself in Christ because she knew Him, and heard herself in Him. How beautiful is that?

King Follett Sermon said, "If men do not comprehend the character of God, they do not comprehend themselves." We are currently seeing the exact opposite of that in this world. People forget God, and as a result they have less self esteem and self confidence because they can't see their own value. However, as people learn more about God, they can have the knowledge of their own worth.

Everyone struggles with self doubt at one time or another, myself included. Some days will be hard and you will wonder if anything you do is worth anything. If we come to know God, we can and will find our own value. What better gift could we have than knowing we are important?

We have all been commanded to be like Christ, but there are so many smaller aspects of His character than we can work on a little every day. We needn't be overwhelmed. I want each and every one of you to know, no matter your life story, situation, or any other aspect of yourself, that you are important. God loves you. You have something that you and no one else can bring to this world. Christ knew that for Himself, and you can know that for yourself. Never forget who you are.