There are many things I wish someone would have told me when I turned 18. As I shared in a previous post, I was given the opportunity to write a young man a letter recently, passing any wisdom to this young man that I thought would be appropriate. I did, but I felt that my letter came up short. It did because it barely scratched the surface of what I wish someone would have told me.
For this reason, I have written a letter…
I was honored to write you a letter this past week. However, thinking back over what I said, I think I came up terribly short. As usual, I could always blame the brevity of my note to the fact I am busy, that I have a large family, or that my responsibilities with work were getting the best of me. The problem is, if I said that, I’d be just like most other men in America; making excuses for coming up short.
The truth is, I was more concerned with sounding good than saying something good. Austin, I believe in you too much to simply tell you to choose maturity throughout life. In the next few years, you will go through such a shaping season of your life. I have watched good men make decisions during this time that would alter their life dramatically.
That being said, here are a few points I want to pass along:
Po-rnography kills marriages.
Men arrive in marriage with unreal expectations, and the damage done takes years to unravel.
Men need friends. You need good, solid guys that can lock arms with you and walk life next to you. In college many guys start living life “around” other guys, but never with them. Austin, find some guys that want to honor God with their lives. Seek to know them, and allow them to know you. As you get older, this becomes even more difficult, so learn early how critical this really is.
God’s grace is deep.
Take advantage of your college years to dive deep in God’s Word. Study it. Reflect on it. Memorize it. Ask someone to teach it to you. Austin, you are a good man, raised in a great family. Yet, you have so much to learn about the depths of the riches of God’s love. Don’t miss this opportunity.
Don’t focus so much on your grades that you miss an education.
Take advantage of opportunities to “cut your teeth” leading. Go on mission trips where you can learn that God doesn’t just speak English. Look at other cultures to understand what real poverty looks like. When you finish college, all these experiences will have shaped you.
Above all else.
This is a chapter title from the book Spiritual Leadership. In this chapter, he talks about the need for leadership that is Spirit-led. Austin, this world needs men who are under the authority of the Lord Jesus. Be purposeful in stopping to place your heart under His. Great leadership doesn’t come from “technique-ing” people. It comes from wisdom and discernment that is God-given. So go to Him, and ask. He’ll give it.
As I told you in my first letter, I believe in you, Austin. I look forward to watching God’s shaping hand on your life. Come sit on my porch anytime if you’d like to discuss this further.
Walk in great grace, and speak with great power (Acts 4:33).
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