Dear Younger Me

"Dear Younger Me"  lyrics by MercyMe

Dear younger me
Where do I start
If I could tell you everything that I have learned so far
Then you could be
One step ahead
Of all the painful memories still running thru my head
I wonder how much different things would be
Dear younger me, dear younger me

Dear younger me
I cannot decide
Do I give some speech about how to get the most out of your life
Or do I go deep
And try to change
The choices that you’ll make cuz they’re choices that made me
Even though I love this crazy life
Sometimes I wish it was a smoother ride
Dear younger me, dear younger me

If I knew then what I know now
Condemnation would’ve had no power
My joy my pain would’ve never been my worth
If I knew then what I know now
Would’ve not been hard to figure out
What I would’ve changed if I had heard

Dear younger me
It’s not your fault
You were never meant to carry this beyond the cross
Dear younger me

You are holy
You are righteous
You are one of the redeemed
Set apart a brand new heart
You are free indeed

Every mountain every valley
Thru each heartache you will see
Every moment brings you closer
To who you were meant to be
Dear younger me, dear younger me

You are holy
You are righteous
You are one of the redeemed
Set apart a brand new heart
You are free indeed [x3]

          Today in our church, we had a message aimed at honoring seniors in our congregation and then transitioning into more importantly, our reverence for God.  A luncheon for seniors over 55 was provided after the service and communion .  While that was great for them, as a 46 year old youngster my mind quickly calculated that I'm only 9 yrs away from being at that luncheon.  What???  My youthful spirit just stopped in it's tracks to consider the reality of where I've been and how far I've come with God's grace and mercy.

       "We must run; for grace is not an overwhelming force which compels unwilling minds to move contrary to their will: our running is the spontaneous leaping forward of a mind which has been set free by the hand of God and delights to show its freedom by its bounding speed." -- Charles Spurgeon

      As this song above is a letter to one's younger self, I too thought about making a list of 'do-overs' if I could rewrite my history.  That's not what I want or would do tho, because my journey and mistakes helped me learn and make me who I am today.  I don't have a life of regrets, but one of struggle-driven joy.  God allowed my life to happen as it has as a way to draw me to Him through all the joys, heartaches, rewards and consequences.  Ecclesiastes 11:8  "However many years anyone may live, let them enjoy them all. But let them remember the days of darkness, for there will be many." 

       My parents did the right thing by taking me to church in my youth and planting the seeds of God's Word in the soil of my soul.  Proverbs 22:6 "Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it."  Prayer for children is never worthless, because you may think the world has it's grip on them but God's Word never changes, unlike the world.  The Word kept presenting itself into my life, even when I wasn't seeking it with all my heart.

       As the song states, now as a believer and follower of Christ I am redeemed and set apart with a brand new heart.  God's forgiveness is all encompassing for my past, present and future sins till He calls me Home.  Psalm 25:7  "Do not remember the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you, Lord, are good."

      So I ask you, wherever you are on your journey..young, middle aged, or old.. are you wiser from your mistakes?  Are you living closer to God and relying more on God than ever before?  Have you reached out to God for His forgiving and saving grace?  Free yourself from the slavery to sin by trusting God as your Lord and Savior.

     "The Lord promises to be with us in every season of our life (Isa. 41:10). We can count on His presence and find that our purpose is in walking with Him." [odb.org]