Why You Should Know

1.You are beautiful.
2.Hope is real.
3.Your life can start right now.

Almost eight years ago, I was a girl who thought that she was wise beyond her years and didn't need any help. And to some extent, I guess you could say things haven't necessarily changed all that much. Except they have.

You see, the place I was in was dark, lonely, and superficial. I maintained the facade of a middle-schooler healthily coping with divorce and shattered trust. In reality, I was broken, lost, confused, and angry at almost every single person in my life. If I didn't push them away quickly, it just became a slower, more violent process. Especially my parents and my best friends became my worst enemies. Without boring you with details, it should suffice to say that my house was not a pleasant one and school days were living hell.

I made poor decisions regarding online relationships, depression, and self-injury. It is a story that, sadly, most of our culture has come to view as normal and unproblematic. Just in case you didn't get that, I will run it by you again. Stories like mine, worse than mine, of teens struggling with addiction, depression, self-injury, obsession, and thoughts of suicide, are now considered to be normal and acceptable. I hope that you notice how sad that is.

My friend and I discovered an organization shortly after overcoming the worst parts of our struggles. The organization was To Write Love on Her Arms. We were struggling to hold each other accountable and stay afloat. TWLOHA gave us a way to communicate and remind each other that there is, and always will be, hope. TWLOHA is an organization that exists to remind people struggling with the aforementioned issues that hope is real, help is real, and they are not alone in their pain. The organization was established in 2006 as a movement to help a friend who had been rejected from a treatment center because she was "too great a risk." Along with my developing relationship with Christ, TWLOHA has been a constant reminder about how beautiful life is through all of the struggles.

Back in late winter/early spring, an event was promoted through Facebook. The day was known as "Tell Her She's Beautiful" Day. One of my college friends and I were psyched. We spent the night before ignoring studying and preparing hundreds of post-it notes with quips and Bible verses about remembering to love yourself.We woke up as soon as the buildings opened and made a mad dash for all of the girls' restrooms and lockerrooms. Lastly, we scattered through the upstairs of our universities library, hiding post-its in self help books for various mental disorders, including eating disorders and depression. For the rest of the day, we would hear girls laughing and see them smiling as tghey told their friends to go check bathroom mirrors.

It was a great day, and a great cause. However, a large part of me also wants their to be a "Tell Him He's Beautiful" Day. It might seem silly, but everyone deserves to know how beautiful they are. You should know this. You ARE beautiful.

Why you should know:
1. Because you are (beautiful).
2. We are all created in the image of God - is there anything more beautiful and awesome than that?
3. Believe it or not, people look up to you for inspiration
4. Even your smallest action could change the life of someone you meet
5. Because if you listen close enough, it is what God is telling you every day
6. Because believing otherwise won't get you where you need to be
7. Your smile is much more beautiful than your frown.