A few years back I wrote about how nothing in our life is wasted.  This post further explores some simple ways that you can learn from your life and use the lessons you can learn to help those who are coming up behind us.

I was sitting at a friends house the other night and began chatting with his 14  year-old son about girls, money, business, growing up, faith, and making good choices. I’m sure it was a fun conversation for a teenager on a Friday night, but he was kind and obliged my candor and strong opinions.

It actually began with me walking into the front room where he was playing a video game and saying, “When I was 13 I started my first company (a DJ-ing business) and was making $250 per gig.” Perhaps his gaming time had run out, or he was intrigued by what I had just said, but he walked into the kitchen where I was visiting with his dad.

This is a great kid, mind you.  Wonderful parents, and a great head on his shoulders. I began by teasing him a bit about girls, but then making some bold statements about how every time that he wanted to buy a ‘girl friend’ a gift, that he should take the amount he was going to spend, and have his dad put it into a mutual fund for him.

I had a ton of other advice for him, and quite honestly, he was very kind to at least appear to be interested in what I was saying.  I shared with him how the Bible only distinguishes between children and adults.  I told him that if he was wise with the money he has today, that his tomorrow would be much brighter.  I told him that his choices today will honor his wife in the future. I encouraged him to learn a craft and put it to use.  I exhorted him to not waste too much time becoming an expert through a controller, but to spend time apprenticing to be a positive contributor to our society.  I shared with him that the time he has right now to grow in his love and obedience to Jesus now, would pay huge dividends of faith later, when, inevitably, the dark night of the soul comes.  I told him to read 1 Proverb per day, matching the chapter number to the day of the month and that he would excel in wisdom, far beyond his peers.

The reality is, I’m not super smart, or abundantly wise, but I have learned the merit of learning from my own life.  Not that everyone’s life should look like mine, or opposite than mine, but there are a lot of lessons that we learn along the way.  This concept is not unique to me, but can be seen in the way that Jesus spent time with His disciples, and also in Paul’s encouragement in Titus 2 to both men and women to invest in those who are younger than them.

Your successes and your failures can both be redeemed and used for good in the lives of others who are navigating the waters of life.  We all have something to share, something to pass on, something that will make the generations to come more fruitful, and Lord willing, more faithful.

What is one lesson from your life that you feel could be helpful for others? Leave a comment and share below.