To Young Christians
Oftentimes I write from a place of wanting to reach certain life stages, experiences, or with a specific person in mind, but today I want to write to younger me. The 19-year-old me was just trying to navigate life unsure of what was ahead while trying to remain faithful to God in it all. The 19-year-old dazed from the world around him, bustling with emotions and unsure of where to aim them, and soon to realize that a life with God is one of the most freeing yet difficult chances one could ever make.
Much of these words will aim towards helping those young in the faith or life in general. If you’re more mature or at a later stage in life, these can be words to encourage you to help the younger Christians in your life. Either way, may these words be an encouragement to your soul. Blessings.
KNOWLEDGE VS WISDOM
Growing up in the digital age is a thrill. If you have a question, there’s almost nothing that Google doesn’t have the answer for. Gathering hoards of information isn’t as demanding or tedious as it once was, so what’s the result? Many bright individuals with a lot of answers with no real understanding of how to apply it. Because while we’re the most connected and educated generations to ever live, we’re also the most lonely and anxious to date.
But why? Shouldn’t the abundance of information change us for the better since we know what is ideal for us to live a good life? Information isn’t what changes us. Can it be an aid? Absolutely. May it even be a starting point? Sure! But true change in a person’s life happens when the wisdom of God captures the soul. The wisdom of God isn’t something to be bought or studied, it’s something that comes from silence, rest, and solitude with God.
Silence with God doesn’t always mean to quiet all the noise around you (but if possible, do so), it simply means to quiet the noise from within your soul. All the thoughts that lead you away from God and His goodness. The thoughts that lead you away from His presence, and the thoughts that linger around that remind you of the shame that you once lived in, all things that bring you away from enjoying God and His kingdom must become silenced to begin to hear the voice of God.
Because if you’re anything like I was at 19, getting moments of silence come few and far between. As much as we would love to hear God loud and clear every day and get clear direction for our big decisions, more often than not we get presented multiple options and more than one of them even seem like a good idea. Yet through prayer, solitude alone with God, and counsel from others, we grow into the wisdom that God longs for us to have.
The beautiful thing about wisdom is that anyone can gain it. All one must do is simply submit to God, commune with Him, and embrace His presence and wisdom will slowly start to become ingrained into your character.
PATIENCE
Wanting the newest, brightest, and best product on the market is an old and true way of life. Who wouldn’t want their life to be improved simply by spending a few extra dollars? Or better yet, wanting the blessings we believe God will give us to arrive now instead of later. Yet it’s in the waiting that true character and trust is built.
We see Sarah in the book of Genesis wait years for her own child God promised would one day arrive, we see the people of Israel in Exodus travel for 40 years before they reach the promised land, we see Hannah in 1 Samuel 2 wait for God to bless her womb with a child and there’s one common connection we see in all of these stories, the faithfulness of God.
When God is faithful it means that He stays true to His character (which are all things lovely and holy), He has our best interest in mind, and longs for us to become a people whose whole lives are interwoven with His very own heart.
So when you and I begin to want something as trivial as the newest lego set or as serious as money for rent because you aren’t sure where it’s gonna come from, our first instinct isn’t to turn to fear or grow weary of what will happen if we don’t receive it, our instincts will slowly but surely begin to turn into a state of peace and contentment. Not because we don’t need whatever is on our mind or have forgotten about it, but because we know that God is faithful to provide for us even if we aren’t sure of how or what that may look like. It’s through prayer, silence, solitude, and patience in and with God that we see a heart become alive to the love of God.
PRAYER
God, may your wisdom grow in me. Though my days may be young and experience limited, may your Holy Spirit do a work in me that grows me closer to you and my fellow image bearers. May my heart not grow weary when I’m unsure of life, but may your tender kindness pull me in as a reminder of your unending love. God, provide me with eyes to know my limits, ears to take advice, and a heart to accept it all. It’s by the power of your Spirit that I pray, Amen.