What I Wish I Knew

As I write this, it’s 12:30 AM, January 1st, 2020. The 20’s are here.  A new decade.  The fourth I’ve gotten to live in now.  That’s crazy. And you know the drill, new year, new me, right? Of course.  Everyone makes their resolution, whether it’s a to be better at something, get in shape, eat right, grow spiritually, discover yourself, whatever it is… all good things.   But this year instead of that, I’ve been reminiscing on the last decade, the 2010’s. Not to say I don’t have resolutions, i do, and most along the classic lines that you could guess. But recently, I’ve been thinking about a lot about what I would want myself to know back in 2010. So much has happened between now and then and I would never have pictured that this is where I’d be. Hopefully this can serve as some encouragement to you or someone else.

So the year is 2010, and I’m getting ready to attend Passion Conference in Atlanta during the middle of my sophomore year of college.  Little did I know, that conference would shake me to my core and in the coming year, God would reveal to me who it was He was molding me to be. At the time, I was single, probably in the middle of trying to smooth talk my way into a relationship and failing miserably. But all in all, enjoying life in college and pursuing a business degree.  So that is who Logan was in 2010.  Here is what I wish he knew.

1. Your plans are good in theory, but they aren’t what’s best for you.  You will graduate from business school and you will get accepted into Grad School, but you won’t go.  Instead, you will leave everything and everyone you know and move to North Carolina to work in a church. But the funny thing is, you’ve been preparing for it for years now, you just didn’t know it.  All that time you’ve spent volunteering in student ministries, all the years you will spend with the students at BigStuf over the next few summers, all preparation for what God really has for you.
2. Learn to be patient. Things won’t happen in your time frame. Logan, we know, you are a hopeless romantic, a big teddy bear, a sappy cheeseball.  But you are going to endure more broken relationships and heartbreak over the next five years or so than you’d like. You will break a heart or two and have yours broken once or twice, but don’t worry, in God’s time, it will all work out.  And then woman you will marry, let me tell you what bro, WORTH THE WAIT.  And you probably could guess this (simply by looking in the mirror at your goofy looking self) but she is WAY out of your league.  She will be your best friend.  She will be the greatest gift (besides salvation) that God will ever give you.
3. That being said, I know there might be a stigma, but the whole online dating thing.  It works.  Trust me.  You’re welcome.
4. There will come a moment when you question everything you’ve worked years for.  You will question who you are and you will question if you want to even continue down this career path.  Don’t give up on it.  You may want to, but don’t.  God is working in that.
5. Speaking of which, when you get fired from your first full-time job, don’t forget who you are.  Son of the Most-High. Redeemed child of the King.  Warrior for His Kingdom.  Yeah, I know, getting fired sucks.  No other way to say it, it just does.  But that isn’t the end of your story. God is not finished with you. Also, don’t get down on yourself too much.  Keep your head held high as you walk out of that building for the final time.  You did well and ultimately God’s timing for you to leave there was different than your own. And trust me, you won’t look back 🙂 You’ll miss your friends & family there, but that’s it. 
6. The north is not as bad as you think.  I realize that right now, living in Atlanta, and having grown up in the south, the thought of living in the north or somewhere where winter is real, seems crazy.  It will happen though.  Ohio, believe it or not.  And of course, it’s not the south, but it’s not as bad as you think it is.  Plus God is going to lead you to a great church, with great people, and it will be your chance to lead.  What you do in NC is important, and you will learn so much there, but Ohio is a new, bigger challenge that will stretch you and push you like never before. 
7. You’ll have kids before 30.  Yes, I said KIDS, with an s. Two.  Yeah man, twins.  Everett and Oliver.  And they will be the two most adorable, most happy, most fun loving little babies this world will ever know. And being a dad will be your new job, along with pastoring students.  That new job will be the single toughest thing you’ve ever done.  But the most rewarding as well.  You’ll forget what 8 hours of sleep feels like.  You will change loads and load of diapers.  Every shirt you own will get spit up on.  And your schedule is no longer yours, it’s theirs.  You will also discover so much about how God absolutely nailed it when He created women.  You’ll watch your wife carry the twins for nine months (like a BOSS), and then you’ll watch her fight her way through recovery, and then you’ll see her super powers on full display as she raises these boys alongside you.  And you’ll have a renewed appreciation for the opposite sex. 
8. You need to be more active in your spiritual life.  You’ll attend conferences, camps, retreats, and so much more over the next ten years, but personally you will struggle to make time daily for God.  Get better at it man.  Who knows how much better your decade could have been had you done this.  Easily one of the biggest issues you’ll have over the next ten years.
9. You will tear an ACL playing indoor soccer.  Yeah, no kidding.  You play indoor soccer… and not surprisingly, you aren’t very good, but your competitive spirit kicks in and blows out your knee.  Enjoy that.  You do play hockey on and off in adult leagues, that’s cool. And in college, you will win a few intramural championships (no big deal). Once you get to North Carolina though, you jump in to coaching baseball, which opens up an entirely new avenue for you to impact students and it absolutely CAPTURES your heart.  Hang on to this, you may do this for a long time.
10. I know you aren’t really a gambling man, but if you do, go ahead and just put money on the New England Patriots, basically all the time.  Also go ahead and do yourself a favor, don’t watch Super Bowl LI.  Trust me, it’s for your own health. The Braves will win more division titles, but that’s it.  Your hockey team will move to Canada, and believe it or not, you’ll actually become a Carolina Hurricanes fan (I know how much you currently hate them, trust me, this changes).  Oh also, your school, Georgia State, takes a while to get it together on the football field, but man, enjoy basketball.  And that Baylor game… drink it in buddy. 

Lastly, just know, God is going to take you on some adventures.  Literally to different parts of the globe.  Open up your eyes and ears.  See people.  Listen to them.  Hear the stories.  Don’t think you’ve got them figured out based on your preconceived notions of who you think they might be.  Also, talk to those people who aren’t like you.  Who come from a totally different background.  You will learn more about the world from people who aren’t like you, and that’s a  really good thing.  Most importantly, continue to love everyone the way Jesus asks you to.  No matter their belief, their race, their sexual identity, their past, love them.  That’s so important.  Build the relationships, invest in people, and not for selfish gain or reasons.  Those are the things I need you know as you navigate the next ten years of your life.

What’s cool is ten years from now Logan, on January 1, 2020, there will be so many things about your life that will be different.  You will be watching your twin boys on the monitor as they sleep.  You’ll be doing this in the house you buy in suburban Ohio, with your minivan in the garage (don’t worry, it’s pretty sweet).  And you’ll get to go to sleep with your wife, who is also your best friend in the whole world (sharing a bed isn’t that bad, you’ll get the hang of it, and you will love your corner of the mattress).  And some things in your life may not have changed so much, on January 2nd, you’ll be at Passion Conference, again, just this time online.  The next ten years after that though, could be the best yet.  You get to raise kids.  You get to help bring up the next generation, you get to continue to build your legacy and expand God’s kingdom.  That is what you started the last decade doing, and that is what you should end the next decade doing.  I’m excited for you bro, the best is ahead of you.  God’s crazy adventure for you called life is getting really good.  Go out there and spread kindness, be joyful, and love radically.