I've been there. I have been that girl sitting in her room crying her eyes out because she feels like no matter what she does, she will never be good enough. I have been that girl who feels like everyone is against her, and I have been that girl who feels like giving up. I know because I was where you are. It is my hope that through telling you a bit about my story and who I am, that you will hear that you are so worth it.

In high school, I was not “normal.” I was not a size 2, I did not have blonde hair and blue eyes and I did not have the best GPA. Because of those things, I had a hard time finding and keeping friends. I was that girl who sat alone at lunch, and I was that girl who would walk with her head down in hopes of disappearing. I was bullied. At first, it was petty stuff... but it quickly turned into much more than that. It turned into cyberbullying and I was being physically threatened. Now, as you can imagine, I didn't want to go to school... in fact, I all but dropped out. It took all my strength to get up, get dressed and go to class.

You see the thing with bullying, especially cyberbullying, is that you can never “escape” it. It follows you home. By the end of my freshman year, I was so depressed that I felt like giving up. I felt so worthless, so ashamed of the person I was. You see, I took all of those words that those bullies said to heart. I made them my own. In the midst of my depression, I lost sight of who I was. I was still breathing, but I was not living. I was emotionally, and physically, detached from my family and from school. However, I had a saving grace. I had someone come into my life right when I needed them the most, and they introduced me to the thing that saved my life. Jesus.

When I accepted Jesus into my life, it was like a whole weight was lifted off of my shoulders. I was able to breathe again. I was able to live again. After I let Jesus into my heart, I started down the long long long road to recovery... and it hasn't been easy, but it has been so worth it. You see, through learning who Jesus is, and learning how He loves, I started to love myself again. The wounds from those sharp words started to heal. I started to hold my head higher. I started to love life again. And guess what? You can, too.

I want anyone who is going through a rough patch or who has hit rock bottom to know that you are never alone. There is always someone there for you. I didn't realize how many people really cared about me until I started to recover. There is always someone, either at school or at church, who will open their arms to you and will help you.

I know it wont be easy, but I believe in you! Go get your life back.