Dear Brokenhearted,
You probably don't remember me, but I certainly remember you. You see, I failed you. Maybe you don't know that, but it's true. You came into the camp dormitory last week–tears streaming down your face and your young heart aching in your chest. I didn't know what to say to you. I was unsure how to comfort you. That's the thing you learn when you become a grown up: you don't have all of the answers. In fact, you have far more questions.
Looking back, I should have told you that your boyfriend wasn't right about you–that the things he said to you were lies, undeserving of your tears. That he doesn't understand love–real love–which is exactly what you deserve. I'm not sure why. Maybe he's too young or scared. Maybe he's never really experienced love and therefore can't give it. I don't know. But hear me, Brokenhearted, when I tell you that what you experienced that day is a fraudulent and polluted concept of love.
I should have told you that there are more like him–those who will devalue and degrade you. Those who will not cherish your heart and do not know your worth. Brokenhearted, they are many.
See, I should have told you that I understand–that I know the pain behind tear-stained pillows. That I know what it is to cry quietly, so that no one else has to experience your broken heart alongside you. I should have told you, but I didn't. So this letter–this apology–is for you. I hope it finds you and others like you. And, if it does, I want to tell you something so very important–something I wish I had told you before:
You are deeply, truly and endlessly loved.
Not because you have done something right or look a certain way. Not because you are beautiful–and believe me when I say that you are. Not because of anything you can do or say, but simply because God chose to love you. This love can never be altered, taken or tainted. It will never abandon, manipulate or harm you. It is forever for you and, what's more, there is nothing you or anyone can do to change that. Nothing.
I should have told you that this love will take your heart to heights and depths far beyond those you can ever hope for–that any other love is as insufficient as a firefly in comparison to the sun. You have the opportunity to enter into relationship with the most extraordinary being that ever was, is or will be. And, even if you should stop loving Him, He will never stop loving you.
I should have told you to guard your heart valiantly, for surely it is the most precious thing you possess. Your beauty is a prize, but it will fade. Who you are, at the very core of your being, is forever. Make sure you like the person you become. Allow yourself to be shaped by the God who created you and has bigger dreams for your life than you can ever imagine. Be very cautious, Brokenhearted, of who you let in your heart. I pray that he recognizes the precious gift that you are and understands the weight of loving someone so desperately cherished by a beloved Savior.
I should have told you.
So, if you are reading this, Brokenhearted, know that you are so much more than another's treatment of you may indicate. Know that the God of the universe, the creator of all beauty, delights in you and calls you lovely. Know that His heart breaks with yours. Know that He will pursue you until your last breath. And know, above all else, that you are loved beyond measure or reason by a God that surpasses both. You are loved.
