11. Dear Younger Me

Introduction

General: The Sunscreen Song

Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of ‘99, wear sunscreen. If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, nevermind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded.

Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.

Get to know your parents. You never know when they’ll be gone for good.

Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise, politicians will philander, you, too, will get old. And when you do, you’ll fantasize that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble, and children respected their elders.

Be careful whose advice you buy… but trust me on the sunscreen.

Personal: Whose advice are you buying? Where do you look for wisdom in life? What is your source for truth? What is the lens through which you see the world? Where do you get the wisdom by which you understand reality? … Free advice is with what you pay for it.

Biblical: Solomon gives his own “graduation speech” in Ecclesiastes 11.

Body

Dear Younger Me: You can’t control life. But you can trust God. — Eccles 11:1-6.

Exposition

Life is outside of our control… “you do not know…” Clouds rain, trees fall, babies are knit together in the womb, crops grow or drought wipes out the harvest.

When we realize this, we either become hyper-controlling or paralyzed by fear (Eccles 11:4).

But, we should reject both those extremes.

Eccles 11:1… A merchant should send his grain on ships to be traded. If he invests nothing, he’ll gain nothing.

Eccles 11:6… A farmer should plant his crops. If he plants nothing, he’ll harvest nothing.

The best investment is generosity… Eccles 11:2. If we give nothing, we’ll receive nothing.

Illustration: When I was trying to figure out college, I felt a crushing weight to choose the right major… “I’m 17. How am I supposed to know what will make me happy for the rest of my life.”

Application: We can’t control life. But we can trust God… Eccles 11:5. We don’t know the work of God, but we do know the God who works. // What has God prompted you to do that you’ve put off doing?

Dear Younger Me: You can’t avoid difficulty in life. But you can find joy in surrender to God. — Eccles 11:7-10.

Exposition

Life is hard — “the days of darkness will be many”

Don’t let the darkness keep you from enjoying the light (Eccles 11:7).

Don’t fixate on the negatives (Eccles 11:10).

Illustration: Wisconsin has a lot of dairy cows, and cows ruminate…

Application: Bad things will happen, and we can’t avoid them all. So, don’t ruminate on them. Instead, find joy… Eccles 11:9… in surrender to God (not indulgence to sin).

Dear Younger Me: You can’t make life longer. But you can remember your Creator now. — Eccles 12:1-8.

Exposition

Solomon’s very creative description of aging…

You will die. You cannot avoid it. So, remember your Creator now…

Illustration: Don’t say, “I’ll get serious about my faith when I’m older.”

Application: From our Thursday men’s group: Your kids have a 0.16% chance of becoming a professional athlete, and a 100% chance of standing before God on the day of their death.

Conclusion: Pause and Pray

What am I believing about life that’s not true?

What do I need to stop trying to control and trust You with?

What do You want me to do?