06/05/2026
A Friday Devotional by Rev. Brooke Robbins
“In old age is wisdom; understanding in a long life.” Job 12:12
Our town, much like most other towns around our country, has been busy celebrating graduations for the past couple of weeks. It’s a festive time marked with excitement at the completion of a big chapter of life, and the hope and promise of the future spread out before our graduates. We celebrate and give thanks for our graduates within our families, community, and church.
On Sunday, Pastor Anika preached about the Great Commission, and a large portion of her sermon was written in a letter format that began, “Dear younger me…” She shared it almost like a letter that graduates could write to themselves in the past, sharing important insights and learning that may have been helpful when we were younger. As hindsight is 20/20, we gain a lot of clarity and perspective as time goes by.
While I listened to the sermon, I couldn’t help but be reminded of a song with this exact title by the Christian band, MercyMe. They sing:
“Dear younger me, Where do I start? If I could tell you everything that I have learned so far, then you could be one step ahead of all the painful memories still running through my head; I wonder how much different things would be.” How different would your life be if you could give your younger self some advice? What have you learned over time that would have been helpful to know back when you were younger? What stories would you share and what life lessons would you share to give yourself a heads up?
“Dear younger me, it's not your fault. You were never meant to carry this beyond the cross.” Are there times in your past when you wish you could have heard “it’s not your fault”? How might hearing this have helped you grow through hard times? And then they close their song by repeating a message to themselves: “You are holy; You are righteous; You are one of the redeemed, set apart, a brand new heart. You are free indeed.” What might those words have done for you if you’d heard them sooner? What are some affirmations that you’d tell yourself?
So I have a little homework assignment for you: write a letter to a younger you. What have you learned as you aged that might have been useful to know sooner? How might your life experiences have taught you some lessons that you would have appreciated knowing at a younger age? And once you have written this letter, spend some time in reflection on these lessons. Do you think someone else could benefit from them if you shared them? Are there any truths in the letter that you could share with people in your life? How might the lessons you’ve learned the hard way help others?
We gain insight, understanding, and wisdom as we age, and those insights may be gifts to others in our lives. May we give thanks for our experiences, and allow it to shape and grow us as we progress through life. Amen.
