You Are Not in Control [a letter to myself]

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Bonnie Gray at Faith Barista is hosting her first faith jam in 5 months. Won’t you join me as I link up with the “jam” to write a letter to a younger me about “What I Know Now” when it comes to the faith journey?

♥     ♥     ♥     ♥     ♥

Dear Julie,Julie baby

Life is quite a journey—an adventure really. And that’s the way you should look at it.

When you are on an adventure, there are surprises around every corner. There will be ups and downs, twists and turns. Expect it!

Don’t fool yourself into thinking your life will go as you plan it. You are not in control, even when you think you are.

From the depths of the valleys to the zenith of the mountaintops, don’t ever forget God loves you. The Creator and Master of the Universe loves you enough to let you go through very difficult circumstances—to share in the suffering of His Son. He will use those times to temper and shape you into a vessel that reflects Christ more clearly.

You have a wonderful capacity to care. Don’t let cynicism take root. And don’t try to do everything—to help everyone. You were created for a specific purpose. Ask the Father to reveal what that is, and pursue it. Pursue it with everything you have, with all the passion and tools you possess. This will bless you immensely and bring glory to God.

Hold onto the hope and  joy that is found in the Lord. Count your blessings. I mean really count them! The big and little. Day in and day out. This is a form of worship and will draw you into closer fellowship with Jesus.

Forgive transgressions against you. You won’t forget, but forgive—it is so freeing.

I know it won’t be an easy road. Don’t travel it alone. Walk with fellow believers, offering encouragement to each other.

Find a church home. Don’t expect to always agree with everything about that particular church body. After all, it is made up of sinners just like you. Instead find a place to worship where the members love the Lord, profess belief in the Judeo-Christian doctrine, and stand on the unchangeable truth of the Holy Bible.

Pray without ceasing. Laugh often. Love deeply. Take time to play. Most of all, hold loosely. Don’t clasp anything or anyone too tightly. Be willing to release your loved ones as a sacrificial offering to the Lord. It is so very difficult, but it is the ultimate sacrifice and will be honored greatly.

Live each day for the One who loves you enough to willingly suffer and die for your sins. He died for your wretchedness, for your filth. When you finally fully grasp the immensity of His sacrifice, then you will achieve the ultimate satisfaction in this earthly life.

Don’t doubt your worth. The Creator doesn’t make junk. You are uniquely and beautifully created in His image. It is folly to compare yourself to others. If you were meant to be like someone else, He would have placed your soul in their body. Stay true to who He created you to be.

Lay your burdens at the foot of the cross, drawing strength from Jesus Christ, and keep your eyes forever focused on Him.

I’m so very excited for your journey. Enjoy the adventure. It’s worth it all.

“Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that lay before Himendured a cross and despised the shame and has sat down at the right hand of God’s throne.For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, so that you won’t grow weary and lose heart” (Hebrews 12:1–4 HCSB).

With deepest love,

Your Older Self

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Share in the Discussion: Is there something you need to say to yourself that would be most effectively relayed in a letter? Perhaps now would be a good time to write it.

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By His Grace,

Julie

11 Comments

  1. ro elliott on August 16, 2012 at 5:36 pm

    we are neighbors at Denise’s…great words here…oh don’t you wish we could have walked in more of this wisdom…but i guess it is through all the peaks and valleys we found the wisdom…and now we can pass it on to our children…and they can miss some of those land mines we hit. blessings~

  2. ro elliott on August 16, 2012 at 5:38 pm

    great words here…how i wish I would have known more of these truths…but now…we can pass them on to our children…blessings…dropping in from Denise’s…

    • juliesunne on August 16, 2012 at 6:15 pm

      I agree, it is a great privilege to share the truths we learned with our children. Thank you for stopping by.

  3. Linda Smith on August 16, 2012 at 6:24 pm

    🙂

  4. Rebekah on August 16, 2012 at 7:05 pm

    So true! Much of this letter are things I would have written to myself. Especially the part about life not going the way you plan, and the twists and turns.

    • juliesunne on August 16, 2012 at 7:17 pm

      I think we all have similar experiences in our lives, Rebekah. Blessings as you travel your windy road.

  5. highheartedly on August 17, 2012 at 1:27 am

    “don’t try to do everything—to help everyone. You were created for a specific purpose. Ask the Father to reveal what that is”
    This stuck me. I’ll be doing that, because the past three years I have been trying to help everyone! Goodness, and realizing it is embarrassing.
    Thanks for your comment earlier on my post.
    God bless you!

    • juliesunne on August 17, 2012 at 6:18 am

      Especially as women, we want to help everyone in need. It can be so difficult to say no. But we’ve all been gifted in different ways for specific purposes. We are spinning our wheels in many ways when we try to do things we aren’t gifted for. We are all different members of the same body, working together to be a “whole” (1 Corinthians 12:12-31). Ask the Lord to reveal your purpose/role and pursue that passionately.

  6. jenbuckner on August 17, 2012 at 11:06 pm

    Julie, this is beautiful. Thanks for sharing your wisdom. So much wonderful advice here. 🙂

    • juliesunne on August 17, 2012 at 11:53 pm

      Thanks, Jen!

  7. […] wrote a letter to you when you were younger and encouraged you in many ways, but there are a few points to make that are […]

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Julie Sunne

Hello, I'm Julie, an imperfect wife and mother of four. Life in this broken world is not always easy. Yet, joy can be found in each day through the grace and mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I find it's easy for our day's blessings to get lost in its happenings. But God's "mercies never end" (Lamentations 3:22) and His "grace is sufficient" (2 Corinthians 12:9).

May the posts and pages on this site offer you a measure of peace and encouragement.

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