An Open Letter to my Young Women

Dear Young Woman,

I hope you know what an absolute delight it was serving with you during my year and a half with the youth.  And I hope you learned something from me.  I hope I was a good example of what a faithful woman is to you.  And I am going to miss seeing you twice a week, coming together to have fun, serve others, and draw closer to our Savior.

I hope you know how important it is to know, and I mean truly know that you are a daughter of God.  That knowledge brings power.  That knowledge brings confidence.  And that confidence will change your life and the world around you.  It is so, so easy to get caught up in the chaos of the world. It is so, so easy to lose your eternal perspective.  And the knowledge that you are a daughter of God is what you need to combat that.  You are of divine heritage.  And he has amazing, wonderful things in store for you.

Don't dwell on your imperfections.  Embrace who you are, and know that with God's help, you can become who you are truly meant to become.  Those weaknesses that you are probably beating yourself up about on a daily basis really truly can become strengths.  If you put your faith in the Lord, put all of your efforts in, and rely on the grace of God, anything is possible.

Remember that you are standing as a witness of God at all times, and in all things and in all places.  I cannot express enough how important it is to be at the right place at the right time.  It's a lot easier to make good choices when you surround yourself with good people and good places.  Make friends with people that think you are the best.  That think you are awesome.  Having friends that fill your life with positivity is something that will bless you throughout the rest of your life.  Don't cling to negative people- you are better than that.  Because remember- you are a daughter of God.  And if you radiate light and positivity to those around you, the right people will be attracted to that and will want to be around you.

You are going to get overwhelmed by life.  It's something that happens to all of us.  Confide in your mom, confide in your leaders.  They have so much to offer you.  I have been so blessed throughout my life with amazing advice from my parents and leaders.  I still to this day thank God daily for the amazing youth leaders that I had who helped shape my testimony and faith in God.  When you do feel overwhelmed, just remember that you are never alone.  And also remember that the problem you face is just a small pebble that you probably have placed right in front of your eye.  As you pull the pebble away, and your vision isn't completely consumed by the sight of this rock, you begin to see that the world is much bigger.  And having an eternal perspective that you are just experiencing a small pebble in a large world can bring you comfort and peace.  All things will work together for your good.  Remember that and cling to that promise that God has given us.

The last thing I want to say is that you are going to make mistakes.  We all do it.  As much as I wish that the advice I give you will prevent the heartache you will feel from making those mistakes, I know that you will still make them.  Just remember that those mistakes do not define you.  Your divine heritage, the knowledge that you are daughter of God is what truly defines you.  Give yourself grace, repent when you need to, and just learn from the mistakes that you make.  And once again, if you remember who you truly are, you will be much better equipped to do so.

Remember, remember, remember.  YOU are a daughter of God.

Love,

Sister (Grace) Fisher