Honesty

I got the final copy of my book in last night. It was an exciting thing to see all the kinks worked out and realize this is actually going to become something. I felt a lot of things at the moment but one that stood out was utter fear. The first line in my book after the dedication states,  “I’m gonna give all my secrets away” and I mean every word. I air all of my dirty laundry for my readers to see but why? Why do I dredge up the past, one filled with a lot of unpleasant memories, why do I tell my story without hesitation and there is only one reason.

Because I wish someone had told me.

Because I wish someone would have been honest about sex, drugs, and alcohol. I wish someone had told me their story with none of the gory details left out. I wish someone would have showed me the true side of sin instead of letting me believe what MTV had to say. I wish someone had told me the truth about my Savior instead of finding him in my darkest moment.  Don’t get me wrong my parents did their best but  i’d like to think I would have changed my mind on a few decisions if i had heard a story like mine.  I’d like to think I would have had a prettier past but I don’t.

However, lots of girls have the chance to live differently and its my honest opinion that unless we start being real about what they are facing then we will never get through to them. Unless we talk about the real side of sin they will never want a Savior. If teens think that life is really like Katy Perry’s song “Last Friday Night” they are in for a rude awakening. There is much more to Friday night than getting drunk and having sex but how will they ever know if they don’t hear the truth about getting drunk and having sex.

One of the things my editor said to me at the end of this process is that I will face adversity in the midst of getting this book published but i’m OK with that. I’m OK telling every side of my story if a few lives get saved. I’m OK being real because in the end the glory will be to God and that is all that matters.