Dear Younger Me (Someday You’ll Understand)
Dear Younger Me,
When you watch a complicated movie, you start blurting questions. You know it’s important to be patient, and you think you are generally a patient person, but you’re really not as patient as you think you are. The movie, in your opinion, would make much more sense if you knew the answers right away, even though you know the answers are coming and they’ll be revealed when they should.
In the same way, you are not very patient as you wait in the unknown. All the questions of what your life should look like or why it looks the way it does and how to handle everything you don’t know how to handle make you anxious. You can ask God, “Why is this my story?” You can ask Him, “What do I do right now?” You can ask him, “Why can’t I get it right?”
But, even in the unknown, God is God, and He does know the answers, though you may have to wait for them. Think about Abraham in the Bible. God called him to pack up and move to a new land, but Abraham probably wasn’t sure how this would all play out. He had to walk from his homeland to the new land through all that land in between. I would like to think he had a ton of questions, but his faith carried him through.
Even Jesus had to remind the disciples that even if they didn’t understand some of the things going on, someday they would. You also might not understand what or how the Lord may be working in your life, but I believe that you can rest assured that you will someday.
Love,
Megan
Dear Younger Me,
Remember that day when you were driving home, and the “ROAD CLOSED” sign blocked your way so you just decided to turn right since you couldn’t go on? You then picked another road to turn left on so you could at least keep heading east. Unexpectedly, that road took you along the river, which was a beautiful sight at that time of day with the sun shining through the trees on the water. The unknown of that detour led to beauty, and at the end of the road was the town to which you were driving.
Like then, when you come to what feels like a detour in your life, where it seems the road is closed or even if it feels like you’re taking the long way to where you want to go, there’s beauty to be found in the detour. Unlike that drive, detours in life are often mixed with pain, but if you choose to, you’ll see the good. Sometimes you’ll see the good after the fact, and sometimes you’ll catch glimpses of the sunshine on the water while you’re on that unknown road. The cool thing is, God knows exactly where that detour ends and it’ll be right where you’re meant to be.
Remember to allow the detour to grow you in character, perseverance, and hope. And, whether you find yourself on the detour or back on the highway, remember the promises that God is with you wherever you go and that what you go through in this life will never compare with the glory to come.
Love,
Megan
Dear Younger Me,
Remember when Mom had you reading and writing down every Bible verse about the words you speak, because you weren’t speaking nicely to your sisters? She wanted you to learn then that your words matter to other people. You didn’t realize then how truly important words can be, especially when they are so full of life and so needed when you’re discouraged!
You’ll also learn and come to realize someday that your love language is words of affirmation. You thrive on the good words others speak of you or to you. However, the irony is that it is difficult for you to give words of affirmation to others (I think you’re more of a gift-giving person!). It doesn’t come natural to you to give compliments to others, but what if you didn’t think about the awkwardness and just spoke the words anyway? What if you just took the time, like others have done for you, to send a text of encouragement or write a note? What if they need your words just as much as you’ve needed theirs?
My hope for you is that you would learn this way of loving others. I’m not too great at it right now, but I hope for you that you would make it a point to say the words of Truth others need to hear. As I have received words of encouragement exactly when I’ve needed them, God can speak through you to others who need to be encouraged, too.
Love,
Megan
Bart Millard from MercyMe, who has a song “Dear Younger Me,” shares this advice for his younger self. For the full conversation about the advice he would share, listen to the A Closer Look podcast, where you can also hear about MercyMe’s new album and upcoming tours.
Dear Younger Me,
You hear the words over and over, “You’re so close! You can do this!” And you appreciate the words and the kind hearts of the people behind them who love you and are doing their best to cheer you on, but in your exhaustion and stress, it’s hard to find the willpower to take the next step toward the light at the end of the tunnel. Forget sprinting towards the finish line – you feel like you’re trudging through the mud.
And in that mud that consists of late nights and tears, you don’t see a lot of joy. You imagine how joyful it will be to walk across that stage, and how joyful it will be to celebrate with your family and friends, not to mention how joyful it will be to finally get eight hours of sleep again, but it’s hard to find the joy right now.
So I encourage you to choose to celebrate the little joys. Celebrate the words of the person who says, “You’re so close! You can do this!” Celebrate shopping for your graduation dress. Celebrate that study break with friends (and you really need to take those breaks). Celebrate that the stress of this season isn’t for forever. Celebrate how far you’ve come, and let that carry you through.
Because, my dear, you’ve climbed mountains. You’ve done some really hard things. You’ve overcome a lot. And you’ve accomplished a lot. You’re on the homestretch now, so keep your eyes on the finish line at the peak of this mountain. And remember you’re not alone. Lean on your friends and family. Cry those tears of frustration. And hold onto God who has held every moment of your life in His hands and is cheering you on as you finish this journey He’s set before you.
Love,
Megan
Dear Younger Me,
When the battle is raging, please rally the troops! You might rather fight the war alone because it’s easier to not let people in, but when you call for help, you can better stand and fight.
There’s a really cool story in Exodus 17, when Moses needed his brother Aaron and his friend Hur to hold up his hands as the people of Israel fought a major battle. The mental and physical stress and strain on Moses as he watched from above on the hill must have been great. He knew as he watched that if he held his arms up high his people would win, but if he let them down, they’d lose. But he couldn’t hold up his hands on his own for long. Thank goodness he had his buddies on that hill with him to help him! Because, if he lost his strength alone, that would have been tragic for the army of Israel. I also wonder if Moses might have felt like a burden to Aaron and Hur, or embarrassed that he couldn’t do something so simple. Maybe he wondered why God didn’t just give him the strength to do it on his own. But I would hope that Aaron and Hur in that moment were just so ready to support him that it didn’t matter one bit. Maybe God chose not to give the strength to Moses so he could experience being strengthened by his friends instead.
Like Moses, there are seasons you may feel the same way. You might feel tempted to try to fight the battle with your own strength. You might feel like a burden asking for people to come alongside you in your fight. You might beg God to just give you the strength to get through it on your own. But you’ll see when you rally your troops, that you’re not a burden. You’ll see you are loved, and those people aren’t just ready to fight with you, they’re going to fight for you, too. And you’ll see that strength can be found in the arms of others.
Love,
Megan
Dear Younger Me,
If God can arrange all the events of time to point to Jesus and if He can arrange all the prophecies of time to be fulfilled in Jesus, He can hold you, too.
All of history led to Jesus. Even the symbols you can find in the Bible, Jesus became Himself. In this Easter week, you are reminded of the many ways Jesus was fulfilling what was spoken of Him centuries before.
What an amazement testament to God’s grand design! He planned all of that and with no less than perfect timing! Where God has placed you in time, you have the great gift of being able to read and know that Jesus was the answer all along.
If God’s timing was perfect then, His timing is perfect now. You may never understand on this side of Heaven why God waited to bring ultimate redemption, and it may be hard to understand why the areas of your life where you want redemption seem to be stagnant as well.
Yet, imagine the people who loved Jesus as they watched Him hang on the cross. As they did life with Him, knowing Him more and more as their Messiah, they had to watch Him die, the one who they thought would be their rescue. What was going through their minds and hearts? I imagine they were grieving and mourning the loss of their friend and teacher and the loss of their hopes and dreams. How could God take Him away?
But Sunday came. Resurrection and redemption came. The impossible happened. In God’s perfect timing.
And the same is true for you. You might be grieving the loss of hopes and dreams and the weight of brokenness, but take heart that Sunday is coming!
Love,
Megan
Dear Younger Me (The Lessons To Learn From Gideon)
I encourage you to take a little trip in your Bible to Judges 6. There’s a story of a guy named Gideon there, and you’ll have learned about him in grade school and Sunday school, but you won’t fully appreciate this story until later, when you realize you feel just like him.
Cowering. Unsure. Scared. Unconfident.
Yet God sent His angel to meet him there in the place he was hiding, telling him, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” Gideon started questioning God’s sovereignty and His presence, but God said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”
Gideon had more excuses (he thought he was a pretty weak guy), but the first words out of God’s mouth again were “I will be with you…”. God promised His presence, even when Gideon felt afraid, even when he made excuses for why he wasn’t cut out for the job. But Gideon, with God, was eventually able to see what he thought was impossible.
Victory. Freedom. Confidence in God.
When you feel like Gideon, know that He knows your heart and what He’s called you to. He knows what you’re capable of, and even more so with Him. Regardless of where you find yourself, remember that God can take what strength you have and what weaknesses you have and use it all. When you doubt what He’s called you to, remember to go in the strength you have, for the Lord is with you.
Love,
Megan
Dear Younger Me (When You Feel Stuck)
You know how you love escape rooms? It’s the fastest hour ever, and every minute counts when it comes to figuring out how to get out. When you have a ton of random clues and gadgets in front of you and you don’t know how to use them, that’s when you begin to feel stuck, and you feel like you are wasting your time.
But, what if you didn’t look at it like a waste of time? What if those moments of being stuck are really for your good? What if it’s an opportunity to learn to ask for a hint from the escape room staff? What if it’s an opportunity to think a little differently and find new perspectives? What if it’s an opportunity to remind yourself of the things you already know?
When life feels like that escape room, and you’re holding in your hands all these things you aren’t sure how to handle, it’s easy to become overwhelmed and stuck. But what if being stuck is good? What if it is a season God is using to teach you to ask for help? What if He’s inviting you to think differently? What if He wants to use this time to remind you of the Truth about who He is so you can find rest?
Remind yourself of the story of King Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20. When the enemy armies were coming, the king gathered the people and prayed. He said, “We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help.” The people were answered with the words that the battle was not their fight, but God’s.
When you’re stuck, go before God. He knows how to handle what you’re worried and confused about, and He’s your Defender. Always know that “stuck” is a place God can use.
Love,
Megan
Dear Younger Me,
I wish I had the answers.
I wish I knew how to encourage you when you’re frustrated in the waiting and God’s timing doesn’t make sense or how to encourage you when life is happening all at once and your head is spinning in confusion.
But, in your cry of “God, I don’t know what you’re doing!” remember God’s all-knowing, good character and the promise held for you in Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
You don’t know the answers, but you know the One who does. You can trust His timing is perfect, because He is. You can trust He’s got you, because of His promise He’ll never leave you. So in your confusion or frustration, hold onto the God whose timing is perfect. In hope and faith, the confusion and frustration will someday give way to celebration when you get to see with your own eyes how His actions were exactly on time.
Love,
Megan