What Would You Tell Your Younger Self?

Have you ever wondered what your life would be like if you had made different choices? Where would you be if you had turned left instead of right?

Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give your younger self? We asked some of our friends here at Bridgeway to answer that question, and here’s what they said:

James 1 tells us to consider it pure joy whenever we face trials of many kinds. And I would tell my younger self that that is true. And that we are able to become mature and complete and not lacking anything and grow in our perseverance when we go through trials. So, embrace uncertainty and take risks. – Heidi Mobley

Well, I would tell myself that God is good and He loves you. But there are times when, though you know He’s good and He loves you, your life is not like that. And that’s the definitive moment when you know what the Bible says. So your life is not good – what do you do when that happens? I think you need to be honest and be vulnerable. I wasn’t vulnerable at all. I was always trying to cover it up, my vulnerability. So I would tell myself, the younger man, be vulnerable before God and be honest with Him. – Pastor William Jin

What would I say to myself? Today and back then, I didn’t listen to anybody. I used to think I was all that and a bag of chips – the last Pepsi in the desert. It was my world, and it was the best world to ever be in. So if I could sit myself down and talk to myself, I would say, “Janise, what’s wrong with you?” I would challenge myself to take ten minutes, just ten minutes a day, and read the Bible. Read it with a heart of interpretation and application. Interpret it to what it’s like for you and your life today, and then apply it, because the blessings, the lessons, the stories that God has for me – they just answer everything. 

I don’t know if as a young person you have conversations in your head because you feel like nobody else understands you. But guess what? If you just take the time to know God, He is your best friend. He knows you. You can talk to Him about everything – I’m telling you, everything – and He has the answer for you. Trust in Him, believe in Him, and just stretch out your hand because He’s there just waiting for you. He’s your best friend. The best friend you could ever have. – Janise Fonseca

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