Dear Pre-Teen Friend,

Do you ever think about your future?  I bet you have hopes and dreams that can barely fit inside that chest of yours.  You may already know what you're going to be in adulthood; maybe a doctor or a fashion designer and a mom. You may have picked out a college. I know you probably have that one movie star or singer that you would love to meet.  You may have even thought about where you'd like to live or what you'll let your kids do that your parents won't let you do, like eat in the living room-or eating Oreos for breakfast.  Some of those dreams, though you're filled with them, are as distant as stars in the sky. 

What is it that you'd like to be?

Have you thought about where you want to live?

Is it safe to ask- who it is that you'd really like to meet?

If you're anything like most girls, all it takes is for one thing to go wrong and then those hopes and dream are replaced in your heart by frustration or fear or rejection.  A bad day with a friend or getting grounded by your parents may make you feel like your world is coming to an end.  Sometimes our "today" can stop us dead in our tracks so that it feels like our tomorrow will never come.  We think that how we feel today is how we will always feel.

What are some things that frustrate you?

What does it mean to feel rejected (not chosen)?

Are there things that you fear?

What are some things that happen that make your day royally stink?

Here's something to think about.  Today is here and now.  We must live in it. Some days we'd rather hide.  Or fight.  Or cry.  We want today "fixed".  We try hard to make today perfect in our own strength.  Maybe you try to make today just how someone else likes it; you're thinking of how to please others. 

Sometimes our today is good and life seems right.

Some days, it seems nothing goes right.

Our future seems so far away. 

How do we live so that we aren't stuck in today or waiting impatiently for our future?

Some wise words are written in the Bible in the book of Psalm:

My times are in your hands.

 -Psalm 31:15

Today doesn't have to be (and probably will never be perfect).  Your future may or may not work out the way you dream it will.  The most important thing you can know about today, or your tomorrow, or your 2022 is that God holds all of your times and YOU in His hands.

You can stop worrying.

You can know that the thing that made you cry, won't leave your heart broken forever.

You can know that your favorite pair of shoes will probably be uncool in six months.  That's okay.

Know what your hopes are.  Know what your fears are.  But MOST important of all, KNOW GOD.  He cares for you. 

 You're going to write a letter to yourself.  It will be opened in May.  you're going to have a chance to think about what your hope are for this school year.  But I want you to think a little differently than we think sometimes.  I want you to be thinking like God might be thinking. I want you to know that it's not your worries that should control you.  It's not your sense of style that makes you who you are.  Remember when you are writing that you belong to God.

For all hand-outs and a run down on the event go to: http://kristiburden.com/?p=3406