Gonna Write Myself a Letter by Sharon Heagy

Dear Sharon,

What a challenge to write this letter. When you think of the past, your autopilot goes to the mistakes you've made and the 'woulda, shoulda, coulda' moments that may have changed the direction for your life and the lives of others. For some reason you must choose to ponder the abundance of blessed days of your existence, and there are many. Even the grand errors of your life are filled with "good and perfect gifts" (James 1:17) and led to the most amazing one of all - the grace, mercy and agape love of God.

If you think of the future, you realize your rope is getting shorter and you no longer entertain the illusion of youth that assures you will live to a ripe old age. There are no guarantees for anyone. Yet that realization fills your heart with thanksgiving for the years and adventures you've had. The course of the life you are living today can change in an instant.

(Well, Sharon, so far this letter is not a letter of encouragement. What else have you got?)

What else have you got? You have today. This moment in time. This precious, remarkable, exquisite moment. Turn it over in your hands and see it glow. Appreciate its brevity and fragility like a soap bubble resting in your palm for one brief nanosecond. Are you going to waste it? There will be another won't there? Another and another, all popping into your life like popcorn in a pot. Slowly they start pop.....pop....pop. Then suddenly they are popping like crazy! Popopopopopopopop until just as suddenly they are gone.

Treasure the moments, but don't hoard them. They don't belong to you. They belong to Him. Seek His wisdom and use them wisely. This life is not all about you. It's about Him, it's about others and then it's about you. We are all in this together, in that order - first, second, third. At least that is what I think you should strive for in all the moments you have left, however many that will be and however quickly they will pass. As John Wesley said,

"Do all the good you can,

By all the means you can,

In all the ways you can,

In all the places you can,

At all the times you can,

To all the people you can,

As long as ever you can."

Discover the miracle of God's creation in each person you meet. They are "fearfully and wonderfully made." (Psalm 139:14) Witness the beauty of a sunrise and let the crashing waves of the ocean take your breath away. Listen to the whisper of wheat waving in a field of grain. Let your heart warm and giggle as you hear the laughter of children, new life. "Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn." (Romans 12:15) Embrace the sacredness of silence. Seek the awesomeness of God in every day. Be obedient to His beckoning voice.

Print out this letter, Sharon, to read for the next few days then store it away in a place you are sure to discover later. Soak in these directions until you are overflowing with grace into the lives of others. Building, encouraging, nurturing. Sharing the love He has so freely given to you. Share through written word or physical deed. Through prayer and supplication. In any way His limitless creative way chooses. This is what you have. As the Gaither song says, 'We Have This Moment, Today.' (YouTube link here)

With love,
Sharon

Sharon Heagy writes from the wonderful town of Rockglen, Saskatchewan where she lives with her husband a big dog and furry cats. Their kids have flown the coop and made lives for themselves and their families, as it should be. She writes to bring hope and humour to a world that needs both. She can be reached @ sharonheagy@gmail.com Thanks for taking the time to visit today.

 

Letter to My Younger Self by Dana-Lyn Phillips

Being a teenager is hard but it’s not going to last forever. In fact, your high school years will be over in the blink of an eye. Soon you will be making big life decisions so for now, just relax and enjoy the ride. Focus on friendships, and relationship building, because one of these friends will be with you for life. (Spoiler Alert: It’s not the cute boy from History class that you will pine over for four years.)

Don’t be self-absorbed and fail to look around you. Notice that your friends, who are doing all of those things you refuse to do, are just crying out for attention because they come from unstable families. Some, through the dark of night, and behind closed doors, are actually going through the unimaginable.

Although your family has challenges of its own, with a handicapped father and a mother who needs to work long hours to provide for her family, you are loved. Your family is emotionally healthy and your friends sense it. They gravitate towards your home. Open the doors and let them in. I know that because you are an only child, sharing is difficult, but you can share your parents because they have enough love to go around.

Before you know it you will be applying to college. You’ll be a step ahead since you have known, for years, exactly what you wanted to be and your high school courses have all been planned accordingly. Your grades won’t be stellar but you’ve got this. Don’t let your co-op advisor deter you, or make you feel like you’re not good enough. He may think you need to be a man to be an Architect, but show him he’s wrong.

I would suggest that when you apply to college - DON’T JUST APPLY TO ONE! Apply to a few so that if (rather when) you don’t get into your first choice you have options. Don’t be discouraged, know that God has a better plan than the one you imagine. Just go with the flow.

Fast forward…

As you turn thirty years old you will look back over the previous ten years and recognize they did not go according to your plans. Yes, you graduate but the economy ruins your dreams of continuing in architecture. You return to school multiple times striving toward new dreams but all of those programs and diplomas will fall short. They will end up being a waste of time and money. They certainly won’t bring you the joy you’re looking for.

You’ll gain stable employment but non-profit wages won’t sustain you long-term. You will eventually stop focusing on your career and begin to focus on the only true dream you have for this lifetime — a husband, who puts the Lord first, and at least two children (because you know what being an only child is like). Don’t give up on this dream but be patient as it won’t happen as early as you would like it to.

You have a habit of never just enjoying where you are. You’re always focused on the next thing you want out of life. As you date, you will be focused on marriage. Once married, you will long for children. Once the kids come, you will watch over them as they sleep, wondering how you’re ever going to make it through and be a good mom. Trust me, it all works out in the end and you end up with a couple of amazing kids.

Eventually, you will reflect on life lived and accept that it didn’t end up the way you imagined it would. You’ll realize, it turned out better. There is One who has bigger and better dreams for you, and He has a way of working things out according to His purposes for your life.

In fact, what would you think if I told you that one day…you will be a writer?

 

Dana-Lyn is a wife, and mother to teenage boys as well as a 14-year-old cava-poo named Hockley. She is passionate about encouraging Christian women in their faith and is stepping into her mid-life "calling" as a writer. Her happy place consists of a comfy chair, a great book, a hot cup of coffee and a chocolate…or three! You can read more of her work at https://plansfargreater.substack.com

A Letter to 16-Year-Old Me by Susan Barclay

 

Dear Sixteen-Year-Old Me,

You thought you would go to Sweden on your own this year. Ha! You’ll be fortunate if you get there before you’re too old to go. But put your mind at ease: 16 is far too young to go hotfooting around the globe on your own. And one day you’ll have a son who’s interested in Sweden, too. Maybe you’ll go together!

You also thought you’d be married by the time you’re 23. Nope. You won’t even seriously date until you’re almost 25. And then you’ll waste time on a commitment-phobe. Afterwards you’ll tell yourself, and you won’t be wrong, that no time is wasted if you learn something. You do learn something: never pass yourself off as someone you’re not to try to fit someone else’s mould. Even if you’re not perfect (see next paragraph), yourself is actually pretty great. God made you, right? He doesn’t make junk.

You know what else? Twenty three is pretty young to get married. It won’t seem so as you watch many of your peers marry sooner than you do. But comparison is the thief of joy, peace, and contentment. If I could give you a timely word of advice, I’d say don’t play that game. When you marry, you’ll choose someone who shares your beliefs and values, who’ll stick with you through all the ups and downs. He won’t be perfect. Big secret, neither are you (despite being pretty great – see above). It’ll be worth the wait to have a God-fearing person with whom to do life.

You’re already working in a library and that’s where you’ll spend your career. You’ll never lose your love of reading, acquiring books, and doing readers’ advisory. It’s parallel to the work you really want to do as a writer but it’s stable and more readily pays the bills. Sadly, you won’t develop good writing habits while you’re young and carry them throughout the busy life headed your way, but it’s never too late to start, or to start over. That applies to many things, not only to writing.

You’ll have two children, a girl and a boy. You’ll love and raise them as best as you know how. They’ll both walk away from God and the foundation you’ll raise them on. Don’t worry, though. Their salvation never depended on you. It’s the Holy Spirit’s job. Their journeys are their own. Those journeys will be a lot more mind-blowing than yours, but He’s got them just like He has you. He is faithful. You’ll learn to depend on Him and you’ll grow in Him. You’ll find He’s right there in the fire with you. He’s working, even when you cannot see. I have seen my faith made sight, so I know that this is true. He never stops working.

You’ll question some of the decisions you'll make, whether different choices would’ve produced different (better) results. Remember that hindsight is 20-20. Let go of regret and wishful thinking. You’re not one to rashly follow a path. You’ll do your homework; sometimes you’ll remember to pray about it. God won’t always make everything perfectly clear and you’ll go in a direction perhaps you shouldn’t have. Life is full of ups and downs. God gave you a free will and knew the decisions you would make. He works ALL things together for your good because you love Him and are called according to His purposes (ref Romans 8:28). He loves you and accepts you.

God loves you unconditionally, just like He loves everyone, but only those who receive Jesus get to spend eternity with Him. You’ve accepted Jesus already, even though at 16 you don’t have a complete understanding of what that means. You’ll understand it better by and by. The process of sanctification (transformation) takes a lifetime and that’s okay. That’s how God designed it. Receive His forgiveness for your mistakes and forgive yourself, too. Trust Him always. Cling to Him in times of trouble. He will see you through, and one day He will walk you Home.

Love,

Your older and wiser self

_____________________

For more about Susan and her writing, please visit www.susan-barclay.blogspot.com

To My Younger Self by Alan Anderson

 

I don’t have an abundance of fond memories of my childhood. Years would crawl by before I realized God was not a Great Tormentor in the sky. My imagination allowed me to create adventures to escape and run away from certain moments in life. Glory to God, I came to be aware of the gift and beauty of life, including my life.


Dear Alan,

Your early years in Scotland revealed your shyness, self-doubt, and a desire to escape those with loud voices. In time you would learn to use your imagination through writing to turn away your fears. You also turned to people who helped shape the man you would become.

Standout Memories

Do you remember when you were seven or eight years old, there was an upset at home, and you wanted to run away? You ran out of the house, not knowing where you would run to, then realized something else. The weather was stormy, and thunderclaps scared you. You thought the thunder was God being angry with you for running away.

When you finally went back home, no one realized you had left. Your family thought you had just gone outside for a while. This caused you to think you did not matter. Mum, however, did notice and consoled you as only she could.

Remember the old man from our neighbourhood who took his own life. His death was too much for you to process. When you asked Mum why he did such a thing, she said amid her own sadness that, “he was lonely.” You will never forget her sorrowful words nor the old man’s death. As you grow in years and mature in life, the old man will be your role model for people who suffer. Mum will be your role model for compassion.

Another impactful memory is your unending love for a teacher named Miss Gordon. Miss Gordon let you know you mattered, and she took the time to encourage you in your schooling. You will write about her when you get older to let people know of her beautiful compassion. 

https://inscribewritersonline.blogspot.com/2015/09/miss-gordon-oh-how-i-loved-you-by-alan.html

A delightful memory planted forever in your soul is of you and one of your brothers wandering in a field near the Grampian Mountains in Scotland. You walked through a field covered with purple heather and fragrant flowers. This gave you such pleasure and a time for you to rest your mind from your inner turmoil. You saw and felt God’s creation and realized His love. This allowed you to breathe in a calmness you had never found before.

Words of encouragement as you grow older

As years go by and you become a man, your love of quiet places will be one of your strengths. You will never lose your practice of embracing nature, God’s creation. As you get older, you will continue to thank God when the trees you walk by seem to embrace you. You will also love solitude and places that allow you to sit in peace and write.

As decades go by, you will develop your writer’s voice. Write well and often, even when health challenges settle on you as you reach your older years. Never compromise your voice for the sake of popularity or wealth as the world sees it. Remember Mum, Miss Gordon, and the old man, for they were the seeds of your writing and compassionate words.

Keep in mind the heart and actions of the Lord Jesus:

“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matthew 9:36 NIV)

Alan, for as long as you can show this compassion in how you live and through the words you write.

 

Alan lives in a small village called Deroche, British Columbia, with his wife, Terry, and their poodle, Charlie. He enjoys walking on the dike near his home, with trees all around and where he finds inspiration to write. He has occasionally written articles for FellowScript Magazine and is a regular contributor to the InScribe Christian Writers’ Fellowship blog. Alan’s website and blog is https://scarredjoy.ca. He has also begun to write on Substack.