There is a song playing on Christian radio that is titled, "Dear, Younger Me." Maybe you have heard the song. The premise of the song is simple. If we could give the younger version of ourselves some advice, what would it be?
One day, I was driving and listening to the song on the radio. The song made me stop and think. What advice would I give to the younger version of myself?
Before I tell you my answer, let me give you a little background. My life has been good... really good. God placed me in a great home when I was seven days old. My parents adopted me; and I do not remember a time when I was not loved, provided for, and given incredible opportunities. God is so good!
Even when life is good, struggles are a normal part of the journey. We live in a fallen world and we are sinful. This combination provides a perfect storm that creates regrets, hardships, and trials. We make mistakes. Hard things happen to us and around us. Life is not always easy and sometimes it is downright confusing.
My life has plenty of "could've, should've, and would've" moments. Maybe you can relate. With this in mind, I was thinking about the advice I would give my younger self. Knowing that life is hard, mistakes happen, and some seasons are beyond confusing, what do I wish that I had known or believed deeply in my heart and mind?
I thought for several minutes. I replayed my life and I came to one simple truth, a truth that I know is applicable for every season of life and a truth that has not always been deeply embraced in my own life. Here is what I would tell my younger self: "Always trust the grace of God. Always."
If I could go back and change anything, I would not necessarily change the mistakes that I have made. The lessons from the mistakes are invaluable to me. They have become a part of my journey and have helped to shape me into a person who is desperate for Jesus.
Trusting the grace of God at a deeper level would have helped me because I would have known that the hardship, sin, or trial going on in my life was not the end of my story. It was not! I would have known that God was with me and that He was working despite me. I would have known that God loves me and was graciously positioning me for healing and restoration.
How about you? What would your advice be to the younger version of you? Give it some thought, write it down, and share it with a friend.
We cannot go back and change the past. Our "could've, should've, and would've" moments are a done deal. Thankfully, we can take the lessons from these moments and allow them to change our future. God is a redeeming God. He brings purpose to the pain and meaning out of the mess!
So, here is what I am going to do from this point forward. I am going to trust the grace of God at a deeper level. I am going to surrender to His plan each day. I am going to obey what He tells me to do. I am going to learn from my past mistakes and be different because of them.
Let us never forget that Jesus is the author of our lives and He is the perfecter of our faith. (Hebrews 12:2) Nothing is impossible for Him. (John 15:5) Without a doubt, God has a good plan for each one of us. I love to think of this truth: Jesus is "all in" when it comes to us. The question is will we be "all in" when it comes to Him? I, for one, am "all in!" How about you?