Dear 30-year old self

Dear 30-year-old Stephen,

I figure you might have forgotten what kind of guy you were in college. You were a hard-worker who often spent costly hours of many a-morning completing a project or attempting to advance your design skills - hope you're still working hard but also remembering what is most important in life. I'm sure by now you've fallen into a lot of thinking about money and social status. I don't know the man that you are now, but try and remember that God doesn't expect you to accumulate a lot of 'stuff'. You were born into this world on a cold day in December with nothing, and you shall leave this earth one day with nothing. What have you done in between? What impact have you made? How is your time and money spent?

I guess I just want you to remember that there was a time when life went on even though you had little money to speak of. You were still able to impact people and get them to realize that life is not all about money. You were able to be happy because of the quality friends you surrounded yourself with - not because of the stuff you had. I don't know who you are surrounded by now; maybe you have a wife and some kids, but I pray that you have become a strong leader and have shown them that there is so much more to life than trying to climb the ladder of success and reach the "American Dream"; and that life is going to be okay, you just have to enjoy it. If you can't buy a nice car or fancy house for your family, don't sweat it; it will be okay. Kiss your wife everyday because she's the one that has been there for you and will continue to stand by your side through the thick and the thin. Go into your kids' rooms and tell them how much you love them because sometimes its worth so much more to tell them rather than just show them. Take some time out of your day for them, they are what is important, not your job - realize that there is all kinds of beauty and it doesn't have anything to do with having some 'stuff'. Remember to show people grace because you have been shown more than you should have from others and especially from Christ.

You have been able to do some pretty awesome things and meet some neat people and go on some unique adventures, don't take it for granted. You're a pretty good person, you know? God made a whole beautiful earth and decided to put you on it to experience all of his beauty. You can't do that by watching tv all the time. Although I'm done with this letter, there is still work to be done - hopefully you've still got work that needs to be done too; the kind where you make new friends and give to people and wear yourself out in search of ways to love other people rather than accumulate worldly trophies - it'll be worth it, trust me.

Love,
22-year-old Stephen

(inspired by Donald Miller's "Through Painted Deserts")