Dear Pastor,

I am 16 and I am very slim. I don't like the way I look. Sometimes, I hate myself, and my friends tell me that I need more of everything, such as breasts, hips and bottom. I am a good-looking girl and guys always call to me, but I am not interested in getting a boyfriend. What I want is more flesh on my skinny bones, so that my clothes can fit me better. My mother is very slim, but pretty. She loves me, but I don't want to be as slim as my mother.

N.L.

Dear N.L.,

I want to encourage you to love yourself. You will have to develop a healthy self-love. Yes, you must learn to love yourself. You have to see yourself as the most important person in the world. And you must resist every temptation to have contempt for yourself.

Lots of people who have committed suicide hated themselves. You are God's child, and everyone is different. Slim girls are often very sexy and attractive and they are often very good models, and 'fluffy' girls are usually jealous of them. As you grow older, your breasts and other parts of your body may become larger. However, if you have doubts about yourself, you should suggest to your mother that she take you to see a psychologist. Your mother loves you, and your friends must accept you as you are. If your friends make you feel uncomfortable, they should not be accepted as friends.

Learn to believe in your mother and in yourself. You are not abnormal. You are more beautiful than you think.

Pastor