My daughter, Dana, turned 22 recently. She’s at the beginning of a life journey that I am more than half-way through. She has so much of life ahead of her. So many great adventures to still experience.
I started thinking today about what I wish I knew when I was a young 22-year-old. And I realized it isn’t too late for you and me to apply Moses’ instruction in Psalm 90:12 to “number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
These are the 10 things I wish I knew at age 22 (and the 10 things I want my daughter to know now so she can live wisely and well):
1. People will come and go in our lives, but the One who loves us most will never leave. Therefore, His opinion matters more than anyone else’s.
2. The things that seemed SO important to us in our 20s we can barely remember in our 40s. Think long-term, not short-term.
3. Life passes quickly, so don’t waste it on worrying about what you can’t control.
4. God is the Only One who satisfies, so don’t ever look to a man to do for you what only God can.
5. Every man you date is a potential life partner. So whether or not he’s a mature follower of Christ IS a huge deal.
6. We are loved immensely by our Creator and given the awesome privilege of serving our Savior. So don’t look for validation in anything or anyone else.
7. The things we allow our eyes to see, our ears to hear, and our minds to process have a way of sticking with us far longer than we had imagined. So choose carefully what you expose yourself to.
8. The younger you are, the sharper your mind and memory. So store as much as you can of God’s Word in your mind and heart now — so you can retrieve more later.
9. The wise financial habits you develop now will be a safeguard for you as you get older.
10. Purity is in rare commodity. Guard it with your life. (And regardless of what the tabloids say, righteousness will never go out of style.)
What do YOU wish you knew when you were 22? I’d love for you to share it in the comment section below.
Hey Cindi! I think I may be first to comment again lol. Happy Birthday to your daughter! My youngest daughter’s birthday is today also and she is 2! And my moms is tomorrow, and there’s more September birthdays! Great advice! I love #7 & #10. I’m 27 but I wish I knew how much God loved me years ago before I made some of the decisions I made in my past. I wish I had someone to teach me about sex when I was younger. I found out early and regretted many things for years but God has helped me to let it go and forgive myself. It’s all about Jesus. & I wish I kept a guard over my mouth many times so I wouldn’t have hurt others with mean words. I thank God for redemption and forgiveness. My desire is to live and declare His works Psalm 118:17, and do so with love and a loving tongue. 🙂
Thanks, Brittany, for sharing what you wished you had learned while younger. It’s never too late to teach our own daughters those things, which I know you will do. Since your youngest is 2 you have lots of time to be that godly woman in her life. As I say in my book, “When a Mom Inspires Her Daughter” — be the woman of God you want your daughter to become. Have a beautiful week with your children and your Savior. 🙂
Thank you Cindi. These are wonderful principals to share and pray for our daughters. I am going to share this post with Annie (22 and married!) and Amy (19). Happy Birthday to Dana. May Dana’s love abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight. (Phil. 1:9). Amen!
Thanks, Mary, for reading and commenting. And your two daughters are a blessing, too.
Hi Cindi! I love it and I’m going to share it with my daughter:)
So glad you found it helpful, Brenda. Hope your daughter finds it helpful — and encouraging — too.
Cindi,
Honestly, I wish your knowledge was around when I was growing up!! I value all 10 things, but being single again after 23 years of marriage is really lonely. I am so glad Jesus is “my man” & can see why #10 is so important. I know I am forgiven from my past mistakes, but I seriously want to remain pure in case I ever remarry!! He truly is the lover of my soul & the keeper of my heart.
Thanks, Jayne, for your input. It’s good to hear from you. I’m glad Jesus is the lover of your soul and the keeper of your heart right now. There’s no better place to be. 🙂
Cindi,
Thank you for sharing these vitally important “things to know”. I pray both of my children, ages 11 and 7, will grow up with this knowledge. We must teach this to our children and model it at home, because they won’t get it out in the world.
Thank you so very much for your Godly wisdom you share. I’m leading a book study at my church on “When a Woman Inspires her Husband”. The ladies are encouraged and strengthened by your book and the scripture references you’ve used. Thank you for all you do for His Glory.
Thank you, Renee for your comments. And thank you for letting me know you are leading a small group through my book, When a Woman Inspires Her Husband and women are being encouraged through it. I love hearing about the various studies going on with my books. Please keep in touch.
Hi Cindi,
I love these. I wish I would have known some of them when I was 22. I have a daughter that I am going to share your advise with. Thank you for your inspiration.
Maria
You’re welcome, Maria. Always great to hear from you. Thanks for sharing it with your daughter.
Happy Birthday to Dana! She is as lovely as you are:-) These are wonderful words of wisdom yet again. What I wish I had known at 22? GOD…I wish I had known Him then. I had a thought reading the other comments from your readers as they spoke about passing your post onto their daughters. I would like to encourage any of your readers, if they haven’t, to read your book, “When A Mom Inspires Her Daughter”. This book is an amazing read and tool! I have been so inspired by it, thank you:-)
Thank you, Chery, for your kind words…and for the recommendation of “When a Mom Inspires Her Daughter.”