If you could go back a year, or several years, what advice would you like to give your younger self? The experience of living can teach us so much, and it’s great to hear advice and wisdom from those who are older than we are. Here are some points shared by an elderly lady who wanted to bless others with wisdom she’d learned over the course of her life:

1) ‘Time is precious; don’t waste it.’ Make every minute count. That doesn’t mean we have to be busy and productive all the time. Rest and relaxation is a vital part of life too. But we can get weighed down by things like arguments that seem important at the time, but in reality are over trivial things. Let's ask God to help us discern when to let something go with grace.

2) ‘You’re making memories; try to make them good ones.’ Take every opportunity to show love, follow God’s will, and look for His hand in everything. Try to approach every situation with grace, so we can create memories rather than regrets, and look for the treasure in every experience. Looking back, the best memories aren’t necessarily the ones we’d expect.

3) ‘It’s not what happens, but how you respond that counts.’ Every day has new challenges that will test our love and resolve, and life is full of seemingly unpleasant events. But through Christ, we have the power to make each test an opportunity for growth. Let’s try to handle them in a way that enables us to look back and say to God, ‘That experience wasn’t pleasant to go through, but thank You for helping me grow through it.’

What Now?

Think back over the past year (or longer if you like), and write three pieces of advice that you learned over that time, and three Bible verses that connect to the advice in some way. Keep what you’ve written as wisdom to hold on to for the next year ahead.