1) Write out a "husband list". You've may have been told this before, and you may even have thought one out. Put it out in paper and ink. Show your parents. Keep it somewhere safe. You probably have high goals for your future spouse, which is great. However, once these boys become flesh and blood hotties in front of you, it's so easy to compromise.
2) You are not ugly, fat, or unlovable. No, I might not know you personally. However, I know these three things about you, for sure and for certain. "For you created my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made, your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you in the secret place. when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of the came to be." Psalms 139:13-16
"The Lord your God in your midst, the Might One, will save. He will rejoice over you with gladness, he will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing." Zephaniah 3:17
He loves you. He created you wonderfully. He rejoices over YOU with singing! How awesome is that?
3) Everyone feels awkward in the middle school years. I don't care how confident everyone else seems to feel or look, they feel just as uncomfortable as you do.
4) Find a mentor. A mentor can be any older woman in Christ that you know and trust. They've walked the path you're on and can look back on it and give you valuable advice--things they wish they did or didn't do, what they learned, etc.
5) Sometimes when you're feeling hormonal, you have to eat chocolate chips by the handful. It won't even matter that they're semisweet. Don't feel guilty about this. Hormone attacks happen to the best of us.
6) Also, on the subject of hormones, people are going to be scared when you starting laughing and crying uncontrollably at the same time. You're going to be scared when you start laughing and crying uncontrollably at the same time. See #5
7) You are not defined by a number. Let me repeat this. You are not defined by a number. You are more than the number on the scale. You are more than the number on your STAAR test. You are more than the number of layers of makeup you apply each morning. You are more than the number of friends you have. You are more than the number of Insta followers you have. You are more than that. You are loved. You are created. You are special. You are unique. You are YOU and nothing can change that. See #2
8) It's okay if you don't have a boyfriend. Trust me on this one. As a veteran of life closing in on sixteen years and never having one, I am here to tell you that you do not need to have a boyfriend in seventh grade. You're just going to end up getting hurt. Food for thought: what's the purpose of dating if you aren't looking for marriage? (I suggest all young ladies read I Kissed Dating Goodbye by Joshua Harris)
9) Have somebody experienced in the makeup world teach you how to apply eye makeup. Otherwise, you will without a doubt end up looking like a raccoon for the first three months of your makeup journey.
10) Make your sisters in Christ your best friends. They will be there to support you, love you, and help you through everything you're going through. They share the same values you do. They'll be making similar choices in these years that you do. Also, don't be afraid to share with them what you're going through. You are not alone, whether you're battling depression, anxiety, bullying, failing classes, eating disorders, cutting, or anything else, big or small. You never know what somebody else has gone through or is going through. Your friends, if they're true friends, will be with you there through it all. Every up and down will bring you closer. Laugh together, cry together, and most of all pray together.
