Pageant Girl,
Believe it or not, I’ve been where you are: prepping for months, focusing time and funds, and skipping out on chicken nuggets in pursuit of a dream. All at once, the time is here. You’re packing your bags (or repacking your bags) and getting ready to take the drive up to meet a number of other girls who’ve been doing the exact same thing. You’re in a crew of girls with the same goal and dream. What are you going to do with this time? How will you use this weekend? Here’s what I wish someone would’ve reminded me of before I walked into that weekend:
You’ve worked so hard for this weekend. Soak in every second. Meet the girls and allow yourself to love on them. Learn their stories and connect with them. Let yourself laugh and love the skin you’re in, no matter what the contestant going before you or after you looks like. She will be beautiful, but her beauty doesn’t take away from your own. You’re radiant just the way you are. You are cherished by so many. You are supported by so many people who love you whether or not you take home a shiny hat and sash.
God’s will has a funny way of coming to fruition. Of course, you’ve prayed for God’s will before this weekend, but go to Him again and truly open yourself up to the weekend ahead— it’s so fleeting. Allow yourself to make an impact on the humans you encounter. God’s will may be for you to reach people with a crown and title, but His will is not confined to that. Open yourself up and let God fulfill His purpose in you, even if you don’t walk away with the hat.
Your worth is not defined by the outcome of a competition based solely on opinions. Your worth is not defined by someone else’s destiny. Your journey is not derailed. The lessons you learn on this journey are some that will lead you through life. The training that you’ve completed has coached you to speak fluently and thoughtfully, in front of a crowd. This journey has taught you to push through the tears and the doubts in pursuit of something greater- knowing that all you can do is YOUR best.
You’ve worked too hard to lay it all out for just a crown. There is life after the crown. There is so much work to be done after this weekend. You are more than this dream, believe it or not.
After this weekend, you will go on stronger, smarter, and more connected to yourself and to girls like you. In that auditorium are girls who are just as strong and just as lovely as you are, just in different ways. What a blessing to befriend such women! Seize the opportunity. Don’t rest on your looks or on the opinions of others. Don’t take the gossip blogs or the whispering of social media to heart. Don’t take the judges to heart. This industry is wonderful for so many reasons, but it is based around the opinions of others. It is based around a brand. Just because you may not fit the mold of one brand, who’s to say you can’t make your own impact?
Girl, you truly have so much to offer this big world. You are so magnificent and strong, and having the courage to compete makes you braver than a large percentage of the world’s population. Please, do not take that for granted. Do not sell yourself short, no matter what happens Saturday night. You’re allowed to be sad and disappointed, but do not let the results of competition dictate how you see yourself.
You are fearfully and wonderfully made, royal in heritage because He cares for you. You are anointed by a Heavenly Father who rules the universe. Don’t let a crown from some judges mean more than the crown for you in heaven.
Please remember who you are and whose you are.
All the love I could muster,
J
P.S. I made you a mixtape for your weekend! Click here to jam out!