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Bonnie, over at Faith Barista has returned somewhat to the blogging world. I really am so happy to see her take a step of faith and return to her online community after a break. She is on a journey, as we all are. It is important for her, and each one of us to keep our ear attuned to the beat of the drum of the One we follow. May Bonnie be blessed in her spiritual journey, healing and faith life as she continues in His grace one step at a time. Thank You Bonnie, for sharing and caring for us in the Blogosphere! Bonnie has given us a unique prompt this week for her Faith Barista Jam. Perhaps you might like to write and join in!
Here it is:
Here it is:
“What I Know Now”
Write a letter to yourself at an earlier time in your life.
Share what you know now about the faith journey with your younger self.
Your younger self can be any age you feel prompted to address. e.g. “Dear Jane, ….”.
Share what you know now about the faith journey with your younger self.
Your younger self can be any age you feel prompted to address. e.g. “Dear Jane, ….”.
~Bonnie Gray
Dear Younger Me,
I see you desiring to please God and that is good.
Really good.
I see your zeal and your enthusiasm.
Do you know these are gifts?
No, I don’t think you do.
Do you know that God created you and despite every label that has been pinned on you,
He calls you Beloved. Beautiful. Cherished. Precious.
Do you know that everything you fear and all you hold dear will seem small as your vision of eternity is enlarged?
Do you know that one day you will not shake when Goliath stands before you, because you will remember the many Goliaths before that He has taken down with your mustard seed faith,
which will go on to move mountains.
By His grace.
Do you know that you will be a stranger to yourself in many ways,
as He conforms your mind to His and molds you in His image?
Yet, you will be freer than the highest flying birds of the air, soaring to heights you cannot imagine today.
Do you realize that your desire for knowledge, truth and wisdom will be met
completely in the riches He bestows upon you.
That He will claim you as His own forever and it will make everything else be enough.
Enough.
The elusive word that steals satisfaction from the souls of many.
But it shall not be that way for you.
He will be your joy and it will be enough.
When the marriage you anticipated falls short of the dream.
When those you love turn on you.
When you have nothing and when you have abundance,
you will still have enough,
because He lives and it is enough.
He will be all that you need to find the strength and the power to live
the life you could never have imagined, but the one He knows full well.
As He has written your destiny in the stars.
And though you weep through many trials,
He has embedded your heart in His, and His heart in yours.
He will never leave or forsake you anymore than He would leave Himself.
He is Faithful and True.
These names, you will cling to in the days ahead and
He will make Himself known to you in
ways that will delight your spirit, heart and soul.
You will see better as you walk with Him.
You will hear between the words that are spoken.
You will learn to listen better, too.
I would only cheer you on this journey and remind you of His great love for you,
and recall that His mercies are new every morning.
I would tell you, that you are dear to Him.
And He longs for your company.
But He also is with you at all times.
The sweetest secret to “success” in this Christian Life, if there is one,
is found in the abiding.
Just abide in Him.
Grow in the awareness of His presence and you will find
your joy, peace and every other possibility,
right there wherever you are.
You don’t need to run to the mountains, or hilltops or church buildings.
Just run right into His arms, where you are.
Cling to Him, hide in Him, draw from Him, drink of Him, eat of Him, be consumed by Him and know what it is to truly live.
I promise He will never let you down.
This is what I know now.
This is what you will come to know in Him, by Him,
for Him and through Him.
This shall come to pass.
“If you have ever pictured God as a distant wrathful Being,
you will have to reconsider that portrait in light of Jesus Christ,
who is God bending toward us,
God becoming one of us,
God reaching out in mercy,
God humbling himself,
God nailed to a cross,
God rising up from the grave to show us the way home.
Jesus, name above all names, beautiful Savior, glorious Lord!”
~ Ann Spangler
Enthusiastically, Dawn 
18 responses to “Dear Younger Me {Faith Barista Jam}”
Thank you for this post. Yesterday my faith was attacked by a trusted friend and I was left utterly shocked and appalled. I know this was written to your younger self, but it so completely reassured my heart…I'm in tears…thank you.
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You have discovered the secret …abiding in Him. I loved reading this letter to yourself. Thank you for revealing what was in your heart to us.blessings and love,Debbie
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Dear Dawn, I am grateful when God uses the words He gives me to touch another. It amazes me how He can do this. I receive and He multiplies. It just keeps overflowing. Thank you, Jesus for your ways which are beyond our comprehension. Rejoicing with you in His amazing Grace.
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Debbie, what a great prompt from Bonnie's heart to ours! Blessed by you!
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“Enough.”That's the word that kept standing out to me in your letter. I wish I could have understood that when I was younger (well, I wish I could understand it better even now!). Thanks for sharing.
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Enough describes Him perfectly. Stopping in from the Faith Jam. What a blessing.
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Beautiful, lyrical, so true. I love this especially – “He has embedded your heart in His, and His heart in yours.”
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You share a lot of good theology in this post. I like your thoughts.
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this is beautiful Dawn!
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“I promise He will never let you down. This is what I know now. This is what you will come to know in Him, by Him, for Him and through Him. This shall come to pass.” Thanks for this, Dawn. Your letter was lovely.
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There are so much richness in your letter. One of my favorite parts, “Cling to Him, hide in Him, draw from Him, drink of Him, eat of Him, be consumed by Him and know what it is to truly live.” It's really all about abiding in Him, to truly know Him. Thank you!
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There have been times in my life where I've written things down in a journal when I was feeling compelled to write. Its usually been during a crossroads in my life where I needed to make a decision. I've gone back and read some of those recently and I would have loved to tell my worried self then how things have turned out and not to spend my time worrying like that. I would have loved to tell myself that God has never let me down and he's always provided way way more than I've ever needed. I think this is a good little project to do…to write to your younger self and share that wisdom…too bad your younger self couldn't have read it though. 😉
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Hi Dawn, Thank you for sharing such a beautiful post. This sang to my spirit:He will make Himself known to you in ways that will delight your spirit, heart and soul. AMEN!Linking up from Beholding The Glory,Susan
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Lisa, I am still working that. I guess that is a theme of this journey of faith! Thanks for commenting!
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He is! Thanks for stopping in and leaving your words!
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I long to feel this, remember it, trust it. Thank you, Kristine!
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Thank you, Ashley. Glad you came on over to read it.
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Coming from Duane Scott's Unwrapping His Promises ~ this is perhaps the nth time that I've read your post and every time I have a new reflection. I think writing to oneself at a certain period in his/her life is such a great idea. We could already see and feel God's hand in every event in our life and be grateful for it.Thank you for sharing this…
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