"If only I knew then what I know now."

It's true that with age comes wisdom. We all at one point in our lives say "If only I knew then what I know now."  I believe that because we don't normally have true wisdom until we're older, we have to make sure that that wisdom isn't in vain and that it's used to enlighten younger generations so that they do not have to say "If only I knew then what I know now" in the same way that we have. Introducing a child to God and teaching him or her His word is as essential as it gets. But sometimes those lessons come later in life. Everyone has their own journey that they must take in discovering God. This is my journey in discovering Him...


    What would you do if you were the older sister or brother to your younger self? For example, I am currently 24 years old. My younger sister is CC (me) at age sixteen. 24 year old me already knows what 16 year old me will do. Sure it sounds simple- Just tell 16 year old me what not to do! But think of this as a real life sister/sister dynamic. Teenage girls do not want to listen to anyone (including their older sister) and only want to do what they want to do, when they want to do it, no matter how sweet they may seem. 24 year old me would have a hard time getting through to 16 year old me, right? Well, by the time I was 16, there were not any principles enstilled in me that would keep me from making poor decisions. The main thing that my mother preached was to get my master's degree before I get pregnant. Then she would carry on about how dumb girls were for getting pregnant when they weren't ready. So there was nothing that I really took to heart because it wasn't coming from a solid, clear place. More importantly, a biblical place.
    So what would I tell young CC? What could I tell her from everything that I knew young CC would have to experience if she didn't take the path the Lord wanted her to take? You see, that's exactly what happened. There was no regard for God for me at that age and for years to come. I had only one peer who I considered a good friend who was Christian, and yet, because my actual best friend was not a spiritual person, my Christian friend had no influence on me and I was subject to my closest surroundings.
    Knowing what I know now and knowing how I learned at that age, I would have to start by reiterating this one principle to 16 year old me: I was created for God.
    That one principle has countless principles that stem from it. If young CC had someone tell her this, repeat it to her and use it as a daily lesson plan in her life, SO MUCH would have been different! Going further, the next principle I would share with young me would be: My life is NOT about me. This one would have truly opened my eyes because all of the mistakes that I made were because I was trying to please myself or only look out for myself. This principle is about removing myself and this is something that I knew nothing about. Self-sacrifice is all throughout the Word and this would have helped me tremendously; however, I never really read the Bible. I needed to know then that God intended for His creations to live for Him first then for others; never for self.
    These two principles alone could have saved me years of bad decisions and sadness. I was always going to find Him, because I've always known He exists, but the way in which I had to journey to discover Him was not according to His will. I was doing what I wanted to do. Sinning the entire way.
    Another principle that I believe young CC would have benefited from would have been: Have a real relationship with God. All good relationships need the same things. Mother/daughter, father/son, sister/brother, friends or husband/wife-they all need time spent together. Quality time spent getting to know one another as he or she grows and changes. In the same way we are to spend time with God. Talking to Him, praying to Him, reading His Word, basing a decision we are making on Him just like how we would seek our loved one's opinion or approval. Also just like our human relationships, there has to be honesty with God. He already knows everything, and while our honesty is for Him, it also frees us from stress or shame in the process.
    I didn't know anything about a relationship with God. The fact of the matter was, I didn't think that I was doing anything wrong! I had my own standards of how a "cool" teenager should be. I never even considered God's standards. Principle: My standards are so much lower than God's standards. The things that I thought were little, such as white lies or the people that I associated with, I wouldn't have thought to take to God and measure up to His standards.
    16 year old CC needed 24 year old "big sister" CC to show her the truth and the meaning to her life. But God was waiting for me to realize the gift that was right in front of me all along. The gift of Jesus Christ, His love and eternal life. I have been redeemed because of this love. This is all so extraordinary to me because I actually have a second chance to get it right, and now I look at every single day as another chance to get it right. Being in the world and born into sin makes it difficult to do the right thing or simply to know what the right thing is, but because I am not of the world, it makes it a little easier. I have been saved for 2 years and I want to use my faith to influence, especially youth-from the little ones to the teens and to the young adults. I see 16 year old me in other girls more than I wish I did. Just like Solomon, I ask God for wisdom and I also ask for the courage to implement change in this way. 1 Kings 3:9
    Picture yourself as the older sibling to younger you. What would you say to him or her?