Serving Bread

I’ve been in a reflective mode lately—mostly due to a reflection class that I’m taking at Fuller Seminary. I have observed that there are many things that I have learned in my 30s that I wish I had known and learned in my 20s. None of these lessons are really new to me today. But as I trek along in my 30s, they have become more ingrained in me.

1. Time is a more and more precious commodity. It’s hard to say how much time I waste today, but with my various responsibilities (including caring for my small children), I have less of it to waste. I wish I had more time for myself and for my desires. At 22, I felt busy, but it’s nothing compared to the busyness I feel today. I could have probably spent more of my time in more productive means—especially in relationships with other people.
2. Family, Family, Family. I love time with my family (both my immediate and my extended families). I value the time we spend together and have begun to understand how special (regardless of any drama they may bring) family relationships are. At 22, family was an afterthought. I spent time with family because I had to. I wish I spent more time with my family.
3. Finances matter. At 22 I didn’t have a lot of money and I didn’t make a lot of money. And whatever I had, I spent. Had I saved $50 a month for the last 10 years in an account that yields 5% interest, I would have about $8000 today. I did start my retirement account at 22, but that was the extent of my savings. I wish I had put more money in Savings and less money at Starbucks.
4. Jesus loves me. My first class at Fuller introduced me to the notion that ministry flows out of being not out of doing. I understood the principle that my relationship with Jesus is more important than anything I do, but in reality my worth came from my work. I worked hard and welcomed any and all affirmations that have to do with my work. I compared myself to others and judged my faith by how I fared against other Christian leaders. My Sabbatical last fall was really the important season where I really came to grips and understood what it means that my worth must come from Jesus and nothing else. Had I known that at 22, I would have slept much better at night, without worrying about the handful of anxieties and performance issues that were haunting me.

So here are four lessons that are better ingrained in my soul today than they were a decade ago. If you are in your early 20s and are reading this, I invite you to learn these lessons now rather than later.