10 Things I Wish I Knew when I Started Ministry at Age 20

I’ll be 65 years old in two months, but I hang out with a lot of young people in my role as a seminary professor. In fact, I started in full-time ministry at age 20 – not much different from where my students are now. Here are some things I wish I’d known when I was their age:

1. 1. The world doesn’t revolve around me. I arrogantly thought it did then, but now I know the world is much, much, much bigger than I am.
   2. Decisions I make today will affect the rest of my life. You never think about it at the time, but I still carry regrets over decisions I made decades ago.
   3. If it’s God’s plan, He’ll provide a spouse in His time. I worried too much about getting married when I was in my 20’s, but God knew I needed to grow up a bit before sharing my life with someone else. He brought me Pam when I was 30.
   4. My calling is more general than specific. Back then, I thought my calling was only to pastor a church, and I limited my thinking to that role. I’ve learned since then that God can use me in other roles, too. 
   5. Popularity and power are fleeting. In those days, I was aiming for something I now know doesn’t last long. Regardless of how popular you think you may be, most of the world still doesn’t know you at all.
   6. Intentionally building a savings account and retirement funds matters. The sooner you start saving and preparing for the future, the more compounding interest will help you in the long run. I learned that truth early, but still I missed some years of saving.  
   7. I need the church. I needed the church when I started pastoring – but I saw it as a job more than as the family of God to provoke me to godliness and faithful living. Now, I know how much that family means to me.
   8. I need to pay attention to the world’s events. I was hardly a global Christian in my 20’s. Now, I think much about the billions of people around the world who don’t know Jesus.
   9. Life is seldom as bad as it seems. In the midst of chaos and problems, we sometimes think our life is catastrophic. In my younger years, I sometimes let pessimism drive me to discouragement and despair. Life’s seldom that bad, though.
   10. Reading the Bible and praying are more than “check the box” disciplines. That’s what they were to me back then; now, though, I know they’re life-giving components of a relationship with God who loves us.

I’m sure I could list other things, but perhaps my thoughts push you to remember and reflect, too. What do you wish you knew when you were 20?

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