A letter from August 9th, 2020

Dear FutureMe, What’s up, it’s 14 y/o Grace. I’m someone who doesn’t give a second thought to forgiving anyone who has done me wrong, no matter what. Forgiveness isn’t an occasional act, it’s a constant attitude. I’m someone who gives second chances and doesn’t expect perfection. I’m someone who is willing to listen to other people explain why they do or did the things they did without judging them. I’m someone who doesn’t want the last word or have a witty comeback, because I choose to respond with compassion and kindness to anyone who does wrong. Don’t stand up for yourself, stand up for God. I show understanding to people and make them feel loved and appreciated. I will go out of my way to help my enemies and bless those who persecute me. I’m someone that gives people more than they deserve. I don’t feel entitled or think that the world owes me anything. I know that a person is more than the worst thing they have ever done. I don’t measure my holiness by the sins of others. As Martin Luther King Junior said, character is how you treat those who can do nothing for you. I am not jealous of other people because instead I am happy for them. There are beautiful little things in every single person. Today there are plenty of songs and quotes made to get back at people. There are endless goals of never caring about what anyone thinks. Let me tell you this- I don’t want to get back at people. Ever. I want to love them. “Love suffers long and is kind, love does not envy, love is not boastful, does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, seeks no evil, does not rejoice in inequity but rejoices in the truth, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, believes all things.” Forgive people, for they know not what they do. Contrary to what many others seem to strive for, I want to care what other people think. I want to make them feel heard and loved no matter our differences or how much we disagree. I want to hear their thoughts and opinions, their hopes and dreams. I do not want to love myself or put myself first. I want to love others. I want to put myself last and have a humble heart, willing to be a servant and give up my own wants for the sake of others. I want sacrificial love. Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. If my enemy is hungry I will feed him, if he is thirsty I will give him a drink. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Be kind and gentle with your words. Many people act like it’s cool to hate things, but it’s not. It’s boring. Talk about what you love and keep quiet about what you don’t. Jesus died for prostitutes, drug addicts, alcoholics, single mothers, homosexuals, *********, *** addicts, rapists, and all the rest of the groups that some people would rather persecute than love. God hates the sin, not the sinner. He didn’t come to call the righteous, but the sinners to repentance. Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.” Luke 5:31-32 One day Paul was ******* Christians, the next day he was a Christian. One day Peter was a fisherman, the next day he was a fisher of men. If God can create the whole world in six days, he can surely change a heart in one. Never give up on other people no matter how many times they fail. I love what others may call “bad people” not because of the awful things they’ve done, but because of the thought of who they could be. Or rather, the good parts of them that already exist, that others, and maybe even themselves, fail to recognise. I always want to strive for self-improvement, but that is not the purpose of this letter. This is a letter to my future self explaining character traits that are core to my identity. These are things that I NEVER want to change. I want to take these principles and this mindset with me throughout my entire life. I want Cinderella to always be a big inspiration to me. This is a reminder to my future self of who I was, who I still want to be. If I have fallen into the ways of the world like many do, and there is hatred in my heart, I want to remind myself that it is never too late to get back on the right track and see the good in people again. I want to remind myself of the magic in finding the good in places where others see nothing. I don’t want to be someone with guards, shields, walls and other metaphors. I want to express my love for people. Basically what my point here is, improve yourself. Be a better person than you were in past years, have goals and things you want to change. But this, this is something permanent. With love, The optimist