Dear "Younger Me"

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God,
to those who are the called according to His purpose.
(Romans 8:28 NKJV)

The title of this piece is from a song by Mercy Me on their CD, “I Can Only Imagine.”1 The premise is if the songwriter could go back to in time to warn his younger self to avoid the mistakes he is going to make, would he do it?

I have listened to this song many times, but this time I stopped dead in my tracks as the depth of this thought suddenly sank in. If I was given the opportunity, would I go back and warn my younger self?

Then came one of the biggest “aha” moments of my life. I realized I would not. I would not go back and take the opportunity to warn my younger self because every mistake and every ounce of pain has made me what I am today and, most importantly, deepened my relationship with Christ. A God of love who held me every step of the way, even when I was not serving Him, who took every stupid mistake and situation and worked them for good.

I have a lot of scars, but I am proud of every one of them. They allow me to walk in another’s shoes, they allow me to feel the pain someone else is going through because I have been there myself, and they give me the incredible privilege of being able to show His grace to the world.

So, “Younger Me,” let me share this with you. You are going to go through some seriously tough stuff, and you are going to make some incredibly stupid mistakes. You are going to hurt to the point where you wonder if your heart can actually continue physically beating, and you are going to be deeply disillusioned.

But I am not going to do anything to prevent this because, through all these painful situations, you are going to meet the Person who willingly died for you, and you are going to experience a love beyond comprehension.

You are going to make it “Younger Me,” so keep walking. The God who made the universe is going to take your very ordinary life and make it extraordinary because He is extraordinary.