Letter to my 20-year old self
Wednesday, 28th April 2021, I turned 29! Nearly three decades have passed since I entered this world. I began to reflect, what would I love to tell my 20-year old self? What were the turning points of my life in the 20s? Those questions are not the easiest to answer, but I will try to answer them.
Throughout my 20s, patience and perseverance have been a central recurring theme. Without patience, I would have given up on my goals, and without perseverance, I would have never achieved them. These two qualities are essential to the successes that I have enjoyed, and on the flip side, my failures often stemmed from not exercising these qualities.
Patience and perseverance are essential qualities in human relationships as well. The more I exercised these qualities, the more I understood that every human has weaknesses. Being patient and persevering through our (including mine) time of weaknesses helped my relationships grow.
However, growing in patience and perseverance did not come to me quickly. The experiences in my 20s helped me grow in these qualities (and I am still growing). But the most critical factor to my growth in the 20s is not my experiences; instead, it is God working in me and helping me grow.
…for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. (Phil 2:13)
Now, let’s go back to the question, what would I love to tell my 20-year old self and any 20-year old for that matter? It is simple, be patient and persevere. Please do not give up because your dreams and goals are taking time to manifest; keep working at it. Be patient with people, especially your family; they love you. You will fail in many areas, but that does not mean you should stay a failure, learn from your failure, and then grow.
Finally, the question — What were the turning points of my life in the 20s? — has only one answer. My life changed when I decided to live for God and not myself. He has helped me in every area of life, comforted me through painful times, and laughed with me during the good times. He is THE friend for all seasons. Won’t you like to have a friend like that?
