Birthdays
are always a very reflective time for me and since this year marks my 30th
birthday, I have been reflecting on my past 10 years. A lot can happen in a
decade and I wanted to mark this occasion on my blog by sharing a letter that I
wrote to my 20 year old self. Obviously, my 20 year old self is now a 30 year
old and these lessons have been learnt, but I wanted to write this letter to
reflect on the things that God has brought me through during my 20s. I wanted
to remind myself of the journey He has taken me on and to share with those who
are standing 10 years behind me the lessons and experiences that they may go
through before they reach 30.
“Dear Daisy,
You
have made it to your 20s and I am certain that you think you know it all and
you have figured out life. You have so much to learn and so much to experience.
Let me tell you:
You will
grow in your faith!
This
is the time that you will learn the most yet about God and what it means to be
a Christian. You will see the true power of the word of God and you will persevere
in prayer. You will pick up unconventional ways of thinking, and even at times,
your friends and family won’t understand your stance. Don’t be afraid to be
peculiar and stand apart from this world. It will be hard sometimes but God
will honour you and you will grow in Him.
You will
make wrong choices
I
am so sad to write this, but you will make decisions that will change the
course of your 20s. Decisions that will take time to overcome, but God is
faithful. Through much prayer, study and persevering effort, God will help you
to stand again and will override events to make bitter trials a blessing and
you will be a better you. Just guard your choices and your associations going
forward.
You will
move!
Yes,
you will leave London with no job and no plans except a burning desire to
follow God’s leading. Your new home will be in Wales and you will learn lessons
in patience, diligence, perseverance, trust and waiting on
the Lord.
You will
have your heart broken
…but
the Lord “healeth the broken in heart and bindeth up their wounds.” Psalm
147:3. You will trust God to heal from past hurts and you will grow to love Him
more deeply. He will show you that “true love is a high and holy principle, altogether
different in character from that love that is awakened by impulse, and which dies
when severely tested.” Adventist Home pg. 50. He will show you his standards
and He will keep and guard your heart.
You will
see miracles
God
will come through for you at the 11th hour! Things that you thought
were impossible, He will make happen for you…even when you are tempted to
disbelieve. Have more faith and remember “…all things work together for good to
them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose” Romans
8:28 and “No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly” Psalm
84:11.
You will
lose loved ones
Three
times round…but God will give you strength. He will turn every teardrop into
glittering stones and diamonds rare. He will leave you with precious memories to
keep in frames of gold and silver, and the blessed hope of the resurrection.
You will
travel
Yes,
from America, to the Netherlands, to Spain, to Norway, to Paris, Berlin and
many other places. God will give you new experiences as you experience
different cultures, meet new people and He will give you precious memories to
carry home with you.
You will
be misunderstood, talked about and hated
I
must tell you this…often this can be the reality. Everybody likes to be
liked…but that is not what is promised. Remember, Jesus was misunderstood,
talked about and hated. He knows the pains of these things yet He encourages
you to keep moving forward and to trust in Him. No matter how hard you try
Daisy, people may be bent on misunderstanding you, people may have so many
things to say about you, people may even hate you…but it’s ok, just make sure
nothing makes you bitter and that you rise above all slights. Make sure that
your heart doesn’t harbour any hatred for anyone. God will give you strength to draw
warmth from coldness.
You will
be betrayed
But
it will teach you about wisdom and discernment. Remember the lord is a “man of
war” (Exodus 15:3) He will fight for you. Just be content in knowing that all
things are recorded in the books of heaven, and God will take care of things. Rest.
You will
feel alone
…but
you won’t be alone. Remember, being alone and being lonely are two different
things. One is a state of being and one is a state of mind. Remember if Christ
is all you have…you have everything. You will be alone, but not lonely.
You will
have the best year of your life
The
year 2014 will be the best year of your life!!! The gospel will do so much for
you and you will experience true joy and peace. You will feel alive and will
praise God for mountains climbed. However, sadly tough times will come upon you
in the next few years but the experiences of this year and the grace of God
will carry you through.
You will
be greatly loved
By
your heavenly father and by all of those faithful ones He will put along your path.
You will rejoice in the blessedness of fellowship and you in turn will love. Make
sure you cherish those blessed ones, never take them for granted and always pray
for them by name.
You will
learn that some friendships are just for a season.
Remember
when you thought all your secondary school friends would be your friends now?
“To every thing there is a season, and a
time to every purpose under the heaven…” Ecclesiastes 3:1
And this is also the
case for friends, even in your 20s you will experience more “growing apart. God has a purpose and a
plan for you – remember where God is taking you, sadly not all can go with
you…even if you want them to. This may also be the case for them – maybe where
they are going, you cannot go. It will
be painful and sometimes baffling, but you’ve just got to trust God’s wisdom
and trust the process. Just like the autumn season, trees have to let go of
leaves in order to grow and enter into the next season. Thank God for the
season and thank God for growth.
You will
start a blog
And
what an experience that will be. You will blog about faith, love, marriage,
sheep (lol), moving, loss, relationships, contentment, friendships and much
more. God will give you the courage to
be bold about your faith and the grace to be candid and share intimate details
of your life. Remember even if one person is blessed by your blog, your mission
has been accomplished.
You will learn that what
will be will be
Learn
to accept things and move on. Allow God to order and direct your steps and He
will bring it to pass. Always remember that the best place to ever be is in the
centre of God’s will.
You will experience
trials
…and
you will learn patience. You will learn to be still and trust God…even when you
don’t understand. Our trials are weighed and measured in heaven before being
given to us so always remember “God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be
tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to
escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13. He will never give you more than you can bear.
“Our
sorrows do not spring out of the ground. God “doth not afflict willingly nor
grieve the children of men.” Lamentations 3:33. When He permits trials and
afflictions, it is “for our profit, that we might be partakers of His
holiness.” Hebrews 12:10. If received in faith, the trial that seems so bitter
and hard to bear will prove a blessing. The cruel blow that blights the joys of
earth will be the means of turning our eyes to heaven. How many there are who
would never have known Jesus had not sorrow led them to seek comfort in Him! The
trials of life are God’s workmen, to remove the impurities and roughness from
our character. Their hewing, squaring, and chiseling, their burnishing and
polishing, is a painful process; it is hard to be pressed down to the grinding
wheel. But the stone is brought forth prepared to fill its place in the
heavenly temple. Upon no useless material does the Master bestow such careful,
thorough work. Only His precious stones are polished after the similitude of a
palace.” Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing pg. 10
You will
rejoice at the end of days!
Life
may not have worked out as you expected it to but you will rejoice at his
unfailing faithfulness and loving kindness. As you enter your 30s your anthem
and song will be “Great is thy faithfulness” (Lamentation 3:23) and you will
sing Daisy…and not be silent.
“Thou hast turned for
me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with
gladness; To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.”
Psalm 30: 11-12
With overflowing love,
♥ Miss Daisy ♥ (Your 30 year old self)
Stay in touch with me
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