Dear Younger Me

“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 thru my head
I wonder how much different things would be
Dear younger me, dear younger me

Dear younger me
I cannot decide
Do I give some speech about how to get the most out of your life
Or do I go deep
And try to change
The choices that you’ll make cuz they’re choices that made me
Even though I love this crazy life
Sometimes I wish it was a smoother ride
Dear younger me, dear younger me”

This song resonates so deep for me.  I know I’ve touched on this subject quite a few times but it’s my story.  Growing up for me was hard…and those memories made me do some not great things as I got older.  I made a lot of really awful choices and some of them have buried me in guilt so deep that I’m still trying to overcome.  One of the lines in this song says “Dear younger me, It’s not your fault…You were never meant to carry this beyond the cross” and it causes all the tears each and every time that I hear it.  Some of the things that my past self did are hard to let go of but it’s not my fault.  I was trying to carry all the burden and all of the shame on my own shoulders and no one can do that alone.  In steps Jesus, picks us up and carries all the pain and hurt for us and gives us a new life.  “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven all our trespasses by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands.  This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.” Colossians 2:13-14  We were not meant to carry our faults and our bad choices beyond the cross.  We were not meant to mull over the really horrid things that we did before we gave our lives over to the Father.  If we continue to carry around all of our past sins then what was the point of the crucifixion?  He has washed us white as snow.  He has absolved our past and has given us new life in Him.

The scripture goes on to say that “He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.”  I believe this can be expanded upon.  He has “disarmed” our past iniquities.  He has “triumphed” over our past mistakes.  I’m preaching this message to myself even as I sit here and type this up.  There is nothing left for us to do.  We don’t need to add in any guilty feelings or hang on to any of the shame.  What’s done is done.  It’s in our pasts…and even though it may still leave some residual hurt deep inside…it does not define us.  It’s all a part of our story which was written long before we were even created.  It was written to be a testimony to the one who has saved us.  Hallelujah!!

 “You are holy
You are righteous
You are one of the redeemed
Set apart a brand new heart
You are free indeed

Every mountain every valley
Thru each heartache you will see
Every moment brings you closer
To who you were meant to be
Dear younger me, dear younger me

You are holy
You are righteous
You are one of the redeemed
Set apart a brand new heart
You are free indeed”

{MercyMe}

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