PATIENCE WITH MISTAKES FROM MY YOUTH
I remember when I accidentally caused a fire in my house and my stepmother ended up hospitalized with serious burns all over her body.
There are scenes from my youth that I wish I could return to and do things differently, or at least erase them from my mind. But, we cannot go back. We can only say as the psalmist did:
There is a difference in our maturity from when we are teenagers to our forties and fifties. When we are young, we don’t have much experience or wisdom. We have little control over our emotions and don’t have healthy identity, being easily influenced by others. This can be good or bad depending on who we are with.
On the other hand, I have seen fifty-year-old adults who never matured and continue acting like teenagers; immature and fussy spouses who will never be successful, but I’ve also seen very wise young people.
We don’t have to wait to be 50 years old to be wise. We can intentionally grow and mature.
There are things that can help us mature even when we are young:
1. The Bible
2. Good friendships. Surrounding ourselves with the right people.
3. Being part of a small group that will help us grow and where we can learn from each other.
4. Voluntarily be accountable to a mentor.
5. A good church where they motivate be to be what God says I am.
The psalmist recognized that in our youth, we are more inclined to sin because we are immature. That’s why he would say:
Lord, I ask you to have patience with the sins and mistakes I made in my youth. Give me the opportunity to fix the rest of my life and the wisdom to not make the same mistakes, and to be a mature, wise, controlled, intelligent, stable, honest, successful adult that does your will.
Think about it:
Were there things you did in your youth that you wish you would’ve done differently?
Were you following the advice from the Word of God?
Do you surround yourself with people who help you grow? Are you accountable to a mentor about your life?