Another day, another victory

This year, on my birthday, we flew to Kansas. I was excited about it for months, we spent weeks planning it and days packing for it. My dad and I scheduled the trip and I checked in the morning before we left. Everything was in place. There was just one concern: we might not get on. Since we fly standby and the airplane was oversold, I was constantly checking the flight to see if there were open seats. But it didn’t look like we would make it on my birthday. I screenshotted my flight options and sent them to the family I would stay with. Now, I talk about blessings in disguise a lot. But this one was very clearly God’s work. Our friends realized that the flight we booked was taking us to Kansas City, Missouri, not Wichita, Kansas. Had we continued as planned, we would have ended up 4 hours away from where we wanted to.




I felt so silly. You can’t begin to imagine the mix of anxiety and relief that flowed through me in the moment they corrected my mistake. I re-booked our flight and it confirmed that we would make it to Kansas on my birthday. That experienced summed up my year: A near disaster saved by an intervention from a wiser person. 16 was about making mistakes and learning from them. But I wouldn’t have even recognized most of my mistakes if it weren’t for people around me. So many loving friends have staged interventions for me in the last 12 months. Its because of them that I have caught and fixed the hundreds of mistakes I made this year. People have helped me survive my year, they are the reason I turned 17 on Friday. Every year, I try to write a quick recap of some of what I went through. Last year it was 15 things I learned. This year, its a letter to those who just turned or are turning 17. I know I’m not the only person who went through what I experienced this year. Maybe you can learn from my struggles and my victories. Here is my recap:

Dear 17-year-old,

Today is another day. Another victory. You made it. You survived another year. There were days when you didn’t think you would make it this far, days when you didn’t even want to. Here you are. There were so many dark days that you started sacrificing who you were supposed to be and the choices you should have made just to be happy. And for a while, it worked. Memories made when you were 16 are among your most joyful. But I am proud of you for making the hard choices and pulling out of that temporary happiness. Always choose your identity and lasting joy over the easy choices that bring fleeting happiness. You wanted to make progress this year and feel like every step forward was countered by two steps back, but for now, let’s just count making it this far as progress. Yes, you are stuck, struggling, and doubting right now. Yes, life is exhausting and painful and the idea of another year of it in front of you is terrifying. Today isn’t about that, though. Today is about relief. About thankfulness for being here. Wherever “here” is. Happy birthday. Be happy because today is the 17th anniversary of the day you were born. In your search for trust last year you learned how to freefall. How to open up and be transparent. That was painful. Terrifying. But you are wiser and more joyful then you were. You took a leap of faith over and over and now look at how far you’ve come. School has ceased to control you, your identity is secure, you have learned how to fall gracefully and get back up. You are priceless. 16 taught you that you are God’s child and are worth treasuring. Guard your heart. This year is about love, and as you conclude one journey and step into another I implore you never to lose sight of God. You have a vision now of who you want to be that is so much clearer than ever before. Be wise, make the hard choices, and seek God’s wisdom. He will give it to you. In the next 365 days you will want to give up on everything. Don’t. Every day is a victory. Love it, love God, love the people in your life. Learn that you are worth loving and that you are loved. Nothing changes that. There are victories ahead, have courage to keep fighting for them. Per Aspera Ad Astra!