A Letter to My Young Life Girls
I still can’t quite comprehend this phrase. “My Young Life girls.” When I was in high school, if you told me three years later I would become a young life leader and have girls of my own, I would have laughed. I would have said I’d be too busy, in a sorority, studying pre-med, and finding time to go to church and bible studies as I could. But man… my freshman year of college, I was wrecked. Wrecked by my need for the Lord, and my need for community. And in the Lord’s perfect timing and humor…
Along came Young Life.
This past weekend, I got the privielege of going to Windy Gap, a Young Life camp in the mountains of North Carolina for leadership weekend. Leadership training for both college and career Young Life leaders, and for high school Wyldlife leaders. A few of these wonderful Wyldlife leaders I’m blessed to call my own Young Life girls. From laughing till we legitimately peed our pants, crying together, dancing for hours, to simply doing life… This weekend underlined a few things I want to say to all my Young Life girls.
I know for many Young Life leaders, we see the brokenness, the hurt, the uncertainty. And we desperately want to sit our kids down and tell them a few important things, starting with one phrase.
And what might that phrase be?
You are _____.
To My Young Life girls,
This is a simple letter with ten things. Ten things I want each of my girls to know. Ten things to wake up remembering, and go to sleep never forgetting.
You are worth it.
Worth every drive to the high school, every phone call, every hour missed studying, every effort spent in getting you to camp. You are worth it.
You are masterpieces.
Fearfully and wonderfully made creations by Him. You are masterpieces.
You are valued.
Valued by not only your leaders, but also an Almighty. You are valued.
You are prayed for.
Prayed for daily. Prayed for relentlessly. You are prayed for.
You are enough.
Enough for our love and enough for His love… You are enough.
You are important.
Your thoughts are important, your ideas are important, your heart is important. You are important.
You are going places.
You may not see it, but your leaders do. You have a plan, you have a purpose, and we believe in you. You are going places.
You are cherished.
We cherish time spent together, memories made together, and we even simply cherish you. You are cherished.
You are invested in.
We know and see your potential. We know who you can be, and who the Lord wants you to be. We believe in you. You are invested in.
You are His.
We, as leaders, can speak truth and purpose into your life, but until you understand and remember one thing, none of these other truths will hold. To all my own girls--if you take one thing out of this letter, take this:
You are His.
And finally, thank you. Thank you to my Young Life girls for teaching me more than they could ever know. What a journey it’s been, in such a short amount of time, and what a beautiful journey is yet to come.
Love always,
Sarah
