“How was your day?” 

I filled my water at the sink. “Good! I responded to a lot of emails from people telling me their life stories and then asking me for advice I’m in no way qualified to give.”

My mom half-laughed. “What do you tell them when you aren’t qualified to give advice?”

“Often I’ll recommend someone else’s website or book to them who is qualified. Or I’ll simply tell them, ‘I don’t know. Praying for you!’”

When I published my book, He’s Making Diamonds, I think the thing I was least prepared for was the emails, texts, DMs, and comments I started receiving from people, asking for my advice. Imposter syndrome is real, y’all.

I’ve had people from all walks of life reach out and ask for my input or advice. I’ve had people ask me for medical advice of all kinds. I’ve had quite a few parents ask me for parenting advice, especially when it comes to parenting with a chronic illness or when it comes to parenting chronically ill kids.

I’ve always been the person who washes her hands next to someone in the movie theater bathroom and gets the entire life story of the person next to me — without even trying! When I published my book, however, it went to a whole new level.

It’s humbling that so many complete strangers trust me with their life stories, and more than that, their darkest secrets. 

It leaves me trying to walk a fine balance. 

On the one hand, people value my thoughts. That’s not wrong. God has put truth and a message in my heart and soul that I was created to speak. When He provides an opportunity, I should take it. 1 Timothy 4:12 (NIV) says, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.”

I also should not give advice on things I don’t know anything about — like parenting. I might share with a concerned parent how it feels to be a chronically ill teen. But I’m not going to tell them what to do. Instead, I strive to be intimately aware of where my knowledge ends so that I can direct people to someone who does have experience with the issue they’re struggling with.

Part of giving good advice is knowing when to shut up. 

Some days I want to shake the world by the shoulders and remind them that I’m still an unqualified teen high school graduate who doesn’t have a clue what to do next with her life and definitely can’t open a jar by herself. 

But I count myself extremely blessed to be able to speak into people’s lives. I don’t take it lightly. And if you have the opportunity to speak into someone’s life today — no matter how unqualified you feel — do so with courage and confidence. Just make sure you lay the humility and sensitivity on thick.