The Ten Year Perspective

We're all heading into Thanksgiving, and the weather's getting chillier, the sun is going down way earlier, and it's also our first school break of the year! The past few months have flown, but it's exciting to think about what's coming up :).

Friday night, to celebrate the start of fall break, the high schoolers from our co-op met up and had a game night - lots of fun and laughs! Saturday started with a 7:10 am trip for haircuts, and didn't really stop from there...we got to stop by and visit my uncle and my grandparents, and were running all over the place for errands. By the time we got home, it was only about 12:30, but it felt like we'd done a day's worth of work already! Football was on, and we started prepping for church and a potluck the next day. It clouded up and started to rain (I got caught in a downpour during a run, haha!). That evening my dad built a fire and everyone started settling down, me wrapped in a blanket next to the fireplace with a pile of books and pens.

Lately, at the speed everything's going at, I feel like I've been drinking from a fire hose when it comes to wisdom and life advice. Over the summer, my spirit felt very dry...I didn't feel like reading my Bible or being disciplined in my prayer life. But ever since the school year started, it's been a crazy amount of growth and change, and it's been powerful and amazing to watch God work. The switch flipped when I decided to practically strive after Jesus, and when I disciplined to read the Word, listen to podcasts, hear what the strong Christians around me had to say, and basically fill each day with reminders of who I am through Christ. It's funny how much good can come through just saying yes to something!

One of the good pieces of advice I heard was, "Look at it with the ten-year perspective". This goes two ways: first, look at the challenge you're dealing with, big or small, and think about it from the perspective you'll have in ten years. The 2029 you. Then, go backwards: think about what the 10-year-old you would have to say about your challenge.

It's crazy how this works, but it does! Keeping a big-picture perspective is so critical in life, because it's so easy to get caught up in the feelings of the moment. And so often, the ten-year-old you would see things so simply. Keeping that simple outlook is important, too: it's also easy to over complicate life!

I wanted to really apply this to a few challenges I'm working through, so I sat down one night about a week ago and wrote two letters, one from each perspective, to myself. I really wanted to share them so that, number one, you might get a practical idea of how to use this advice, and number two, hopefully you can benefit from seeing an example of the clarity some stepping back and thinking logically (instead of emotionally) can give.

Ten Years From Now:

It feels so big. It feels so complicated. I know you feel like you don't quite know how to wrap your hands and your head around it all. But that's just it: it's all the feelings, and they're not yours to carry! When you get here, you won't be worried about all the ways it could have been different. All you'll remember is how it changed you, and what DID happen. When you get here, do you want to look back and remember how you stifled what you knew was right because you didn't feel like trying? Or do you want to smile because you remember how much closer you got to God through it all? Remember: it's nowhere near as big as it seems. And things WILL get better. And it's not yours to carry - give it to Jesus. Submit yourself to His great plan, and so much good will come, even if it's not what you expect.

Back When I Was Ten:

This is easy. Jesus loves you; you do what He's asking; and everything works out. Jesus gave everything on the cross, right? And we're supposed to be like Jesus, right? What's holding you back?

I was actually laughing at myself when I went back to reread them, because they're so true-to-life! Obviously we're not at 2029 yet, but I can see myself saying this. And ten-year-old me would definitely see it all so black and white, haha!

As we all dive into Thanksgiving week, I'm praying that you all are given fresh perspectives and renewed joy. I heard Psalm 51:12 recommended as a good memory verse, so I wrote it down on my hand again: "Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit." With a new look at the circumstances around you, I pray that you're able to rejoice in them, even in a storm, and that Thanksgiving will be an amazing time of family, yummy food, and celebration!