Dear Younger Me
If I could sit down with the younger version of myself, the young preacher full of energy, conviction, and certainty, there are several things I would want him to understand sooner.
First, preaching is about far more than simply having the right answers. Truth matters deeply, and you should never compromise what Scripture teaches. Stand firmly where God stands. Study diligently. Learn doctrine carefully. Grow in your understanding of the Word. But eventually you will realize that preaching is not merely about what you say. It is also about the spirit in which you say it.
You will spend years sharpening arguments, building outlines, and defending convictions. That work is necessary and valuable. However, not every disagreement is a war that must be fought publicly, and not every person who questions you is your enemy. Sometimes wisdom is knowing when to press harder, and sometimes wisdom is knowing when patience and gentleness accomplish far more. Never fear investigation or the tactics that often accompany it. Investigations are often quiet and behind closed doors. Allow those moments to have their work on you.
One of the hardest lessons you will learn is that discouragement often comes from places you never expected. Some of your deepest wounds will not come from the world but from those closest to you. There will be people who praise you publicly while criticizing you privately. Some will misunderstand your intentions. Others will place impossible expectations upon you while extending very little, if any grace in return. If you are not careful, those experiences can slowly make you cynical which is contrary to the will of God.
Do not allow bitterness to take root in your heart. A hard heart may protect you from disappointment, but it will also damage your ability to help people. Be very careful.
You will also need to remember that your value is not determined by attendance numbers, compliments, friendships, debates, or recognition. There will be times when you are tempted to measure your usefulness by visible success. Resist that temptation. You are not the Savior. Your responsibility is simply to preach the Word faithfully and point people to Christ.
You are going to make mistakes. There will be moments where you speak too quickly, press too hard, or confuse confidence with maturity. Sometimes you will assume that because something is true, your delivery automatically reflects Christ well. It does not always work that way. People often hear your attitude before they hear your argument.
Learn to listen carefully. Learn to be patient with people who are still growing. Learn to admit when you are wrong. Humility does not weaken conviction. In many ways, it strengthens it.
As you continue preaching, you will encounter people carrying burdens you cannot immediately see. In fact, you may never see some of their burdens. Some are dealing with broken marriages, hidden sin, loneliness, fear, grief, addiction, or years of shame. Not everyone needs to be confronted with a hammer. Many need a shepherd who genuinely cares for their soul. Never become so focused on preaching at people that you forget how to walk beside them.
Do not neglect your family while trying to care for everyone else. The church always has needs, and ministry work never truly ends. There will always be another sermon to prepare, another phone call to return, another problem to solve. Your wife needs your presence, not merely your provision, and your children need your attention more than your reputation. Do not sacrifice the people closest to you while trying to save everyone around you.
You also need to understand that exhaustion does not make you weak. Even Elijah reached moments of deep discouragement. There will be seasons where you feel worn down emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. There will be sermons you pour your heart into that seem forgotten almost immediately. There will be times you wonder whether your work is accomplishing anything meaningful at all. Keep preaching anyway.
Somewhere, someone is listening more carefully than you realize. Somewhere, someone is learning, growing, repenting, or surviving because the Word of God was opened faithfully.
Never lose your love for Scripture. Stay teachable. Continue examining yourself honestly. The moment you believe you have nothing left to learn is the moment you started drifting toward pride.
And perhaps that is one of the most important things I would tell my younger self: be careful about pride disguised as certainty. Confidence in truth is necessary, but arrogance is destructive. You do not know everything, and you never will. Ironically, realizing that will make you a far better preacher and a far better man. You will eventually learn that the latter is more important.
If you remain humble enough to keep learning, patient enough to keep loving people, and faithful enough to continue preaching through difficult seasons, God will continue using you despite your imperfections.
Not because you were perfect, but because His Word is powerful.
In Brotherly Love,
Lee Elkins