Letter To My Granddaughter

Dear Gracie,

Life is an epic adventure. There will be exuberant laughter and tears of brokenness, peril and security, exhilarating mystery and introspective stillness. Preparation and completion – equally important. Knowing your identity is necessary when choosing to sacrifice for another. You will need both strength and humility. Embrace balance and grow through every experience, sweet Gracie.

God holds the key to your identity, and it's truly fascinating and thrilling to meet your true self. He made you interesting in your own right. You are not the stage setting of another person's show. If your calling is one of poverty and service, answering that calling is the only time you will feel truly alive. Don't throw it away when you fall in love. It's sacrilege to worship your man instead of God. It's idolatry to sacrifice God's design for your life to another human being. To be completely frank, you'll become a shadow of the living, breathing, vital, exciting woman he fell in love with.

Your true self will not be denied. Whoever Grace is – she will break down every barrier and burst through all the chains you or others try to contain or imprison her within. It's easier to never deny her in the first place than to clean up the mess when she “gets out”. And she will get out. She may resemble a wild-haired, wild-eyed, rebellious hellion if you make her work too hard for it. This will require an adjustment period for people you love most, until she settles down a bit.

One last thing... consider the wisdom of your mother carefully. The more it annoys you, the closer you should pay attention. Set your pride and brilliance aside for a moment and see what you can learn. Her epic adventure has made her wise. Your mother's love may be the purest human love you ever experience. When you look back at the times you thought she was clueless - you'll appreciate the wisdom in her patience. You'll marvel at the self control enabling her to resist slapping the arrogance right off your smug little face. Humility will serve you well in your relationship with your mother.

Love,
Granny