dear senior,

(Senior year was one of the most challenging and joyful seasons I have experienced thus far in my life journey. I’ve complied a few things I wish I’d known this time last year as I approached my senior year of high school. This is a letter to my self (and other rising seniors) I wish I could have read before I jumped into my final chapter of high school. )

Dear scared, excited, exhausted senior, 

You are enough. There is literally nothing that can happen in the next year to change that. Your life story is just beginning and I promise you will survive the next 8 months. Now I’m not promising it will be easy- you will be a different person by the time you graduate- but you will change for the better. If you haven’t had a taste of adulthood, it’s time to buckle up because this year will be a wild ride. Yes, you have to apply for college or something you plan to do after your graduate in May. The first time you log into Navaiance to begin your college application, you may be excited. If you get excited, you should be. You’ve worked so hard since you started High School. It’s time to write all of this down. But before you start to attempt to sum yourself up in a few checklist and essays- promise me you’ll remember these things…

You are SO MUCH MORE than your GPA and your ACT scores. It may not feel like it now, but colleges are so much more interested in who YOU are and what story you have to tell. You- not fancy instagram filters you- but you are important enough that colleges want you. This is your time to let the world know what you’re passionate about. 

Do not compare yourself to anyone. Senior year looks different for everyone. From college decisions, to extra circulars, to act scores, to decision dates, to scholarships, I can assure you that the best way to make yourself miserable is by comparing yourself to someone else.  You are called to (with God’s guidance) pave your own path. I don’t wanna freak you out but the decisions you make in the next season will have life-long impacts. If you make a decision based on someone else’s decisions, you will grow to regret it. 

You are not alone. Please listen to the advice you’re given. You will have so many people reaching out to help you. Listen to your parents and mentors. Even if an adult in your life did not attend college, they still have wisdom regarding the transition from childhood to adulthood. And most importantly, God is on your side. There will be moments in this year when you feel like everyone is against you and all you want to do is throw the application away and scream at the world- but God has not and will not forsake you. 

Breath. Everything will get done. It is inevitable that you will be faced with difficult decisions this year, but take them one at a time. You have to trust yourself and trust that God will open every door when He needs to. You don’t know it yet, but He has seen every step you take and He is patiently waiting for you to place your trust in Him. This is a season where you can practice trusting God. While this season is very important- this is not the make or break part of life. Believe it or not- theres more to life than a college decision. If you use this season of life to practice placing your faith in God’s promise to protect you, when the big decision moments come- He will provide you with all you need. 

Be kind. You will get stressed. It will be very easy to allow that stress to effect your relationships- especially with your family. No decision- no matter how big- is worth severing a relationship. People may not always remember your name or your face, but they will always remember how you made them feel. This is your last year as a class and if you go to a high school as big as mine was- you’re still meeting new people in your class at graduation. You have so many opportunities to both BE Jesus and SEE Jesus with people. In a divided world filled with lots of angry people, be kind. 

Make spending time with Jesus a priority. You will receive a lot of checklist and to-do's this year from college counselors, university, etc. and I almost guarantee you making time to read your Bible or have a chat with Jesus are not on the list. This is one of the most critical seasons of your life when you get to decide who you want to be- make sure you’re not looking at this season like it’s your time to shine- it’s Christ’s time to shine. You have so many opinions of what to do with your life and God wants you to flourish- just make sure you’re flourishing with Him as your Guide. Find a friend to hold you accountable to spending time with God. If you being to feel distant from Him, give yourself grace and start new patterns of God seeking behavior! I highly recommend a few books for reading your senior year( along with the Bible of course) 

1. Let’s All Be Brave by Annie F Downs
2. Everybody, Always by Bob Goff
3. Love Does by Bob Goff 

• Another thing that might help is by following the authors of the books above and other Christians on social media. This may not work for everyone, but having positive, Kingdom Building messages on my social media feed is a great way to remind me of the promise I’ve made to God. 

Senioritus is real but your endurance is stronger. You cannot give into the beast. The last few weeks of senior year can be so fulfilling and fun- you can’t let your desire to move on prevent you from enjoying the moments you have where you are. This will be the last last school day you wake up at home. This will be the last time you and some of your friends will all be together. I can testify- after graduation, you begin to lose touch- and that is ok! You’re supposed to move on after you graduate. Enjoy every laugh and homework assignment because you will wish you could relive these days. Treat everyone with grace and compassion- you’re all on the same struggle bus. 

Be present. As I write this letter to you, dear stressed and probably very confused senior, I feel like it was just yesterday that I was making my senior shirt and starting my last first day of high school. I spend a lot of this past year stressing. I did not trust that God had my future in His hands and I tried to dream up a future without His guidance and security. My dear friends, I missed a lot of my senior year because of anxiety. I allowed my own worries of how the world was perceiving me to steal my joy. Do not listen to the voice in your head telling you you aren’t enough. You are so enough Jesus wanted to die for you. He loves you not because of who you are or what you’ve done- He loves you because you are HIS. You are His Beloved.

So in conclusion, you will, in fact, survive this year. It will present it’s challenges and try to wipe you out- but in the words of Winnie the Pooh, ”Just remember you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think”. You are brave and kind. You are valued and original. You are loved.