December 6, 2023 “Young me would hate old me.” That realization struck me as I was chatting with my son, Jake, who is 16. I was trying to explain why I thought something he wanted to do was a bad idea. I refer to my teens and early 20s as my “rebel without a clue years.” While I always performed well in school and successfully maintained employment, it’s fair to say I was also a bit wild. I had purple hair and facial piercings. I was known for having fun, going to parties, attending protests, organizing events, leading crazy adventures and being able to talk my way out of whatever trouble I got myself into. I loved to challenge authority, and I did it whenever an opportunity presented itself. Now, I frequently enforce rules and see the value and importance of them. I’m more strategic and less impulsive. I consider and weigh risks much more than I used to. Young me would certainly hate old me. I’m now the kind of person young me would likely write scathing editorials about in the student newspaper, accusing me of killing some sort of creativity or freedom. While I laughed at the idea of young me disliking old me, it also made me grateful to God for giving us these different seasons in our lives, these opportunities to experience life in so many different ways and to see it from so many varying perspectives. As I think back, I’m glad God changed a lot of who I was in those years. But I also see how my “rebel without a clue years” were part of God’s plan, and how they help me serve and glorify God now. Through my experiences in that part of my life, God gave me boldness, a love of the written word, the ability to find fun and joy in the everyday, a desire for community and to be surrounded by the amazing people God has made in His image… God willing, as I’m looking back in another 20 years, I’ll see what foundation God is building upon in this season of my life, and I’ll see how he’s continued to better equip me to glorify Him and grow my relationship with Him. Old me loves what God is doing with young me. |
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