The bus rumbled to a stop, its engine coughing like an old man out of breath. Beth pressed her small bag against her chest and stepped off, her eyes darting across the chaos of the city. Everywhere she turned, there were people, rushing, shouting, selling, bargaining. The noise was overwhelming, nothing like the quiet rhythm of her village where the only sound at dawn was the rooster’s cry. At seventeen, she had already known more goodbyes than most. She had said goodbye to school when her parents could no longer afford the fees, goodbye to friends who stayed behind, and now, goodbye to the red dust paths of home. The city, she believed, held greener pastures, a chance to start again, and perhaps enough money to send back home so her parents wouldn’t have to struggle the way they always had.But standing there, clutching her bag, Beth felt the weight of being utterly alone. No one knew her name. No one cared where she came from. The dreams she carried in her heart felt fragile, almost laughable, against the towering buildings and endless faces. Still, she whispered to herself, “I didn’t come this far to give up. I will make it.”And with that, she took her first step into the unknown………to be continued.

I know you’re tired even though you just woke up but just do your best today. That’s all anyone can ask of you. That’s all you can ask of yourself. Don’t push yourself too much.

I know you’re scared to fail. So much so, you’re striving for perfection and you beat yourself up every time you fall short.

You’re your own worst enemy and I’m here to tell you, you don’t need to be.

I know you’re worrying and thinking too much. And everyone is telling you to relax. But you can’t seem to.

I want you to know, it shows a sign of strength caring as much as you do.

This is not a weakness but a virtue of yours. You have a heart that doesn’t want to hurt people. You come off as paranoid but I know you just want to make the right choices. Know that you already are. You’re doing great.

I know your heart is racing but you disguise it with a smile. In those moments where anxiety is controlling you, take a deep breath. Do whatever you need to that will calm your nerves. It’s okay to be like this and you don’t need to change. Just learn to breathe through it. To accept it, and conquer it.

I know you hate vourself for breaking down and crying in private because of something you couldn’t control even if it was something small. Stop hating yourself. Stop beating yourself up. It’s okay to have those moments as long as you don’t let them define you.

There is so much more to you than your anxiety.

So when your anxiety is getting the best of you and you’re hating yourself for it, I want you to remember this:

It will all be okay. Your entire life is going to be okay. The relationships and the people who belong in your life will not leave you.

No one thinks you are a burden as vou run over details a million times of things playing out in your mind. You do whatever you need to, to live with this. Everyone else will learn to adapt also.

Remember, you are loved. You are needed. You are cared about. And your anxiety does not define you, so don’t let it.

You will not find a love that is perfect, but you will find a love that is real.

You will not find a love that is perfect, but you will find a love that reminds you that goodness exists. This love, it will inject honey into the soul of you, it will feel like warmth has cracked within your bones. And you will see how it learns you, and fights for you, and stays to weather the storms by your side.

You will be reminded that there is connection in a world that often chooses distance over depth. You will be reminded that there is hope to be found pouring from the fingertips of another human being, tucked between the layers of the things you have yet to discover about them. No, you will not find a love that is perfect, but you will find a love that is light, that isn’t heavy to carry, that does not weigh down the core of you.

You will finally understand that love was always meant to be soft. That it was always meant to be tender.

No, you will not find a love that is perfect – but you will find a love that reminds you just how worthy you always were. This love, it will show you that you were never asking for too much, that the way you sent your heart to war for other human beings was not foolish, that the way you were incapable of loving in halves was not wrong. This love, it will show you that it was always okay to be the kind of person who loved in a way that was full, and nourished, and hopeful all over. That it was always okay to be the kind of person who could never shy away from their heart. This love, it will make up for all of the times you were asked to slaughter your instincts, for all of the times you tried to break yourself down just to comfort or impress someone who was not meant for you. This love, it will show you that you were always worthy of it, that you always deserved to be seen, and understood, that you always deserved to be held and cared for the way you held and cared for all that came before it. This love will teach you – that you were never too much. You were always enough. You were always enough.

It’s 3 am. We’re both awake and the rest of the house is sleeping.

The room is dark and it’s just us. I’m thinking about how one day I’ll miss seeing your sweet innocent smile in the middle of the night.

I’m thinking about how i never want to miss the feeling of holding your little body in my arms. I’m thinking about the connection we have and the way you smell.

I’m thinking about how innocent and sweet you are. I’m documenting this and writing this all down so in 5 years when I’m struggling to remember this hard season, I’ll have this memory of just us.

There are times when you feel young and excited about what God has in store for you, and then there are those other times where you are anxious and worried because it seems like time is passing you by. In that moment, please don’t look to your friends, or someone else’s life on the socials, don’t even look at your past accomplishments, look to God, let him wrap you in his LOVE as you wait to see what he will reveal to you. And also, in the meantime please remember that waiting on the Lord doesn’t mean waiting around. Go out, meet new friends, learn a new skill, spend time with your loved ones, yes God is going to reveal things to you in the future but the spirit of God is guiding you today. Everyday is an opportunity to bravely step out of the barriers of your fears that say ” I’m not good enough to try this” or “what if I fail?” When you are doing what you do for the Lord, you will not fail. Instead of trying to have everything figured out, try to figure out this, “How am I going to serve the Lord today? How am I going to make the most out of this moment, with what he has already given me?” There is so much strength and peace found in this way of life, and you are going to love where he is taking you, he is going to show you more, please learn to embrace what he is already doing.

Dear Future Husband,

I pray you love God as much as I do, I pray you are as loving as you are loyal. I pray you are as handsome as you are honest. I pray you have an unbreakable bond with God along with your family. I pray that you are intelligent enough to teach me how to learn more, be more and see more while not being too stubborn to listen and learn from me as well. I pray when I ask you things you do them out of love and I pray when you’re mad at me you won’t do things out of spite. I pray your actions are so powerful that I never have to underestimate your words. I pray you have a sense of humor that moves mountains on days where I can’t move out of bed. I pray you protect my heart as if it were your own, I pray that you come to me first before you go to anyone else when you need someone to talk to, I pray you love me enough that you’ll never turn your back on me because the bond we have is way more important than any disagreement, confrontation or misunderstanding. I pray our love is living proof that true love does exist.

Amen!

Dear Lord,

I pray for my future husband, I pray for his heart. May you continue to mature him and reveal yourself to him in mighty ways. I pray that he will love you passionately. May you and him have an incredibly deep relationship. I pray he is willing to open his heart to you. May he come to you in prayer and he’s vulnerable about the things he is facing in this life, I pray he relies on you for help and guidance, fill him with your Wisdom. I pray a blessing over his heart and protection over his life. Please remove any temptation or evil that is attempting to make him fall, get hurt or turn from you. Guard his heart and cover him with your peace. If there are any situations or circumstances that cause him pain I pray you heal him, make his heart whole. I pray he has a strong understanding of who you are and how you are moving in his life. May you continue to express intimacy with him, I pray he loves you with all his heart and all his soul, all of his mind and all of his strength.

Amen.

The devil had her right where he wanted. She was so broken, depressed & vulnerable from life, that it created baggage too heavy to check in. The ANGER came from daddy issues. The LIES came from her closest family. The FAKE FRIENDS came from the ones she played in the sandbox with. The devil came to steal, kill & destroy her life, family & relationships but he forgot to calculate one thing, THE WILL OF GOD. God sent her a man who helped her with insecurities. He sent her a man who understood the pain of having a blended family. God sent her a man who could be her best friend, her leader & the man she needed to break all the walls & most importantly, break the chains of baggage forever.