WordPress, the platform we use for ThePreachersWord, provides a daily writing prompt to encourage bloggers to write every day.
Some of their prompts seem silly and rather frivolous, but this one caught my eye and prompted some reflection as I drifted off to sleep last night. I awoke this morning with the same question on my mind.
“What advice would you give your teenage self?”
That’s a probing and profound question. There are many challenges we face from 13 to 19. Lots of changes. Lots of choices. Specific advice would probably vary from the early teen years in Middle School to High School, and then off to college. However, I can think of some principled advice that I would give myself.
#1 Let your Bible learning lead to a close relationship with the Lord.
Since I grew up in a Christian home, Bible reading and studying for my Bible classes have been part of my life as long as I can remember. We attended all the services and classes offered by the local church.
Looking back, I feel my parents tried to live it, and no doubt the local preachers taught it, but I probably put more emphasis on learning the Word than really knowing Him who gave it.
I would advise you to really come to know God in your youth. Draw to close Him. Feel His presence. Develop a real relationship with Jesus. And daily carry a God-consciousness that God is near. He hears. He sees. He cares.
#2 Know yourself.
Popularized by the philosophers Plato and Socrates, is the ancient Greek aphorism–” Know thyself.” Aristotle furthered this thought by saying, “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.”
While I would say, knowing God is the beginning of all wisdom, knowing yourself must be a close second. In youth, it’s so easy to be unsure, afraid, and unwilling to explore who you really are. Don’t copy others. Learn your skills, talents, and abilities. Be yourself. But be your best self.
#3 Don’t compromise your character.
Wanting to be liked is natural. To fit in. To feel accepted by your friends. Even to be popular. But choosing popularity over character is never worth it. Never compromise your integrity. The wise man was right: “He who walks with integrity walks securely” (Prov. 11:9).
#4 Develop discipline.
At home, my parents taught the discipline of work and personal responsibility. At school, the discipline of study habits was taught. On the basketball court, the coaches taught the discipline of teamwork and learning your role.
However, in looking back, I’m not sure I appreciated the application of discipline in all aspects of my life. God wants us to be disciplined in our attitudes, habits, thinking, emotions, speech, and daily walk.
The apostle Paul proclaimed, “But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified” (1 Cor. 9:27).
Learning to control ourselves is hard. But its exercise will prevent many regrets later in life.
#5 Learn from your mistakes.
Don’t wallow in your mistakes. We all fall short at times of what we know to be right. It’s important, however, to learn a lesson to keep the mistake from repeating itself and becoming a fatal flaw in our character.
It’s also important to learn from others’ mistakes. We don’t have to try everything once to find out which things are harmful. Learn from others who’ve already walked the same road.
#6 Serve Others.
Selfishness seems to be a natural human tendency. Looking out for #1 is the motto of many. Learning in our youth that the world doesn’t revolve around us will serve us well into adulthood. Jesus came to serve. He commanded His disciples to serve others rather than wait to be served (Matt. 20:24-28). Serving others helps us develop empathy, sympathy, purpose, patience, and gratitude.
#7 Be patient with the process.
Growth and maturity, whether physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual, are processes. It takes time. Requires efforts. And calls for patience with oneself. Give yourself grace. God does. Stay teachable. Enjoy the journey. And never give up on yourself or on God.
Looking over my early morning thoughts, it occurs to me that this is still pretty good advice at any time of life.
After all, maturity isn’t about age. It’s learning to take responsibility for your choices, character, and future at any age–whether 17 or 70.
What advice would YOU give to your teenage self?
–Ken Weliever, The Preacherman
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