If you could go back in time and have a real conversation with the younger version of yourself… what would you say?
Would you speak with more love, patience, and understanding? Would you tell that younger you to stop being afraid… to believe something greater was always waiting ahead?
It’s a powerful thought, isn’t it? To imagine sitting across from the person you once were… the one who didn’t know how life would unfold. What would you say if you had one chance to speak truth into that version of you?
I’ve asked myself that question many times. And if I could go back, I would look that kid straight in the eyes and say, “Don’t let fear stop you from being great.”
I would tell him, “Don’t believe the lies they told you about who you are or who you’re not. It’s okay to cry. Be kind to yourself. Failing doesn’t mean you are finished… it means you’re learning. The world might try to label you, but God already named you. And His name over your life is stronger than any word spoken against you.”
I would remind him that every disappointment, every moment he felt unseen, was part of God’s plan to prepare him for something greater. I’d say, “You may not see it right now, but the pain you feel today is producing the strength you’ll need tomorrow.”
And I’d tell him one more thing… something I didn’t truly believe back then: the world needs you. Not the polished version of you, not the one that has it all figured out, but the real you. God doesn’t wait for perfection before He uses someone. He works right in the middle of the mess, turning what’s broken into something beautiful.
I used to let fear talk me out of opportunities. I let doubt convince me I wasn’t enough. I tried to fit in when God had already called me to stand out. If I could go back, I’d tell that younger me to stop hiding… to walk with your head up and shoulders back, even when it feels uncomfortable. What God placed inside of you was never meant to fit the crowd. It was meant to change it.
And if you think about it, most of us would say the same. If we could sit across from our younger selves, we would speak with gentleness, with understanding, with grace. We would tell ourselves we were doing better than we thought. We would laugh at the things that used to make us cry, and we would say, “You made it through things you didn’t think you would. I’m proud of you.”
But here’s the shift… and I believe this is where God’s voice steps in. If we know what we would say to our younger selves, why not speak those same words to our current selves?
Why do we save compassion for who we used to be but deny it from who we are right now? Maybe the same grace, hope, and encouragement we would give our past selves are exactly what our present selves need most.
So right here, right now, I’m saying it again: to me, to you, and to anyone who needs this reminder:
Don’t let fear hold you back.
Don’t believe the lies.
You are needed.
You are chosen.
God is still working in you.
Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” That verse isn’t just a promise for the future… it’s a truth we can live by now. God is saying, “I’ve been with you all along. Through every season, seen and unseen, bringing purpose and healing in each one.”
Psalm 139:16 reminds us, “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” That means your story has meaning. You didn’t just stumble into purpose… you were made for it. Even before you were born, God saw your whole life. He saw every choice, every mistake, every victory, and He still said, “That’s my child. I can use that.”
One of the hardest things to do is forgive ourselves for what we didn’t know back then. But grace covers that. Grace says, “You didn’t know better, but you’re learning now.” Grace says, “You fell, but I’m still with you.” Grace doesn’t erase your past… it redeems it.
Romans 8:28 promises, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” All things… not just the wins, but the failures too. Not just the moments you got it right, but the ones that nearly broke you. God uses it all.
So maybe today, instead of wishing you could go back in time, maybe the best thing you can do is stop and speak life into who you are right now. Look in the mirror and tell yourself what you would have told your younger self: “You’re still here for a reason. You’re still breathing because there’s still purpose in you.”
Isaiah 46:4 says, “Even to your old age and gray hairs I am He; I am He who will sustain you.” That’s God’s way of saying, “I haven’t left you. I’m the same God who got you through your childhood storms, and I’m still helping you grow into who you are meant to be.”
So maybe in this moment, as you sit with yourself, it’s your chance to finally say the words your younger self always needed to hear: “You are unstoppable.”
And then turn those same words to the person you are today: You are still becoming. God isn’t finished shaping you. Each morning is another chance for Him to show His glory through what He’s building in you. Give yourself the same love you would have given your younger self.
You don’t need to go back in time to find peace. You just need to stop running from the person God is growing you into. You are not broken beyond repair. You are right where you need to be for God to do His best work through you.
And one day, when you look back, you’ll see it clearly, every delay, every closed door, every “no” was preparing the way for something greater.
Keep speaking life over yourself… until you believe it. Live like God’s promises are still alive, because they are. Remember how far you have come, and know this: God is not done with you yet.
Pray with me
Father God,
Thank You for never giving up on me, not when I was young and uncertain, and not now as I continue to grow into who You’ve called me to be. Help me to see myself through Your eyes: whole, loved, and full of purpose. Teach me to let go of my past, to speak life into my present, and to trust You completely with my future. Remind me that Your promises are still alive and that Your hand is still guiding my life.
