Who am I?
Around age thirteen, freshman year is where life began for me
Rising up from my cocoon so that the world would take notice of my identity
I was quiet but passionate,
Reserved but determined
Clumsy but resilient
I dreamt profoundly of my soccer career
At the age of about thirteen and a half,
I was thriving over all my fears
As I turned fourteen things changed
As sophomore year approached I failed to make the soccer team
From there, my life seemed to have been rearranged
I became a passionless soul
I began to search for love in the midst of the broken
I ran after the wrong people
I took upon me a burden, the wrong role
At about fourteen I was a reckless girl, out of control
I was in search
Looking for something to satisfy the emptiness of what I declared myself to be
A failure
If we are speaking figuratively
I was trapped in the jail cell of my own mind
If we're being literal
I was a step away from going to jail
At fifteen I realized time goes by quickly
The world had left me beaten up and restless
Suddenly, one day
I came across a Man who told me
You don't need to fight anymore
I doubted this truth with everything in me
I had become so accustomed to being ignored
But the One who told me this seemed divine
He told me that He is the true vine
Which every good thing grows from
At about fifteen in a half, I came to know this Man
His name is Jesus, He showed me the holes in His hands
In the depth of the His holes, I found my passion again
I became free from the jail cell in my mind
I began to move forward and leave everything behind
All the baggage I carried filled with anxiety, brokenness, and regret
At sixteen I was no longer running, I would soar
Hope bounced back to me from rock bottom
I traveled to the nation of Africa to help the poor
To share the good news, the evidence of my life story
Each day I was rising from glory to glory
I am now seventeen
I am graduating high school with my head up in the clouds
The world has seen who I was and who I am now
Teachers, friends, and counselors look at my and question, "how?"
I smile and I know they see
That what happened in my life is beyond human comprehension
The restoration was beyond what any psychologist, therapist or medication could perform
I am now strong
I am focused
I will boast in my weakness
Because in my weakness, I found my strength
Resilience is found in Christ alone
I am no longer ashamed
This, is who I am.