To Kids From One to Ninety-Two

“Youth is not a period of time. It is a state of mind, a result of the will, a quality of the imagination, a victory of courage over timidity, of the taste for adventure over the love of comfort. A man doesn’t grow old because he has lived a certain number of years. A man grows old when he deserts his ideal. The years may wrinkle his skin, but deserting his ideal wrinkles his soul. Preoccupations, fears, doubts, and despair are the enemies which slowly bow us toward earth and turn us into dust before death. You will remain young as long as you are open to what is beautiful, good, and great; receptive to the messages of other men and women, of nature, and of God. If one day you should become bitter, pessimistic, and gnawed by despair, may God have mercy on your old man’s soul." -General Douglas MacArthur

As I celebrated my 22^nd birthday last week, I began to think about age, my life, my purpose. We’ve all heard the question, “where do you see yourself in five years?”, haven’t we? Well, five years ago I was 17 years old in the midst of my junior year of high school. I had no idea who I was or who I wanted to be. The important things in life consisted of cheerleading, national honor society, and which dress to wear to homecoming. Frankly, at 17, I had no idea where I’d be in five days, let alone five years. Now, as the Spanish say, I have 22 years and still don’t really know who I am or what I want to be- in the world’s terms. But truly, if you ask me who I am today, at 22, I can give you a definite answer. I will say more than “Carrie Hokanson, senior International Business major at Texas A&M University currently studying in Granada, Spain.” I am more than the daughter of Lynn and Marty, sister of Chris and Leslie…

I am a daughter of the King. (Ezekiel 16:1-14)

I am a jar of clay, bearing the treasure of the truth that is in Christ. (2 Corinthians 4)

I am salt. I am light. I am a fresh aroma. (Matthew 5:13-16, 2 Cor. 2:15-17)

I am a ragamuffin saved by the blood of Christ, made complete and perfect in His love. (1 Corinthians 13:10, 1 John 4:12, 16)

I do not know what job I will have when I graduate, where I will live, who I will marry or when, or even how many more birthdays I will celebrate on this earth, but I do know that while I am here, I am to know Christ and make Him known. So I will not fret as another year goes by and the unknowns increase. I will take joy in the adventure ahead and not settle for complacency or be held back by fear.

I want to Learn. Discover. Grow. Learning requires trying new things, trying “strange” things, trying old things one more time, finding out how to see and do things differently than “the way it should be.” Discovery requires throwing inhibitions and preconceived notions out the window and opening the door to your imagination. Growth requires the willingness to change and be humbled. One thing you can pretty much always guarantee to come paired with growth is failure. Before we ever succeed, we are probably going to fail a thousand times, but in that failure we have experiences in which we learn. We discover. We grow. The eyes of our soul are opened to who we are and who we can become, and to a world much larger than ourselves.

I write this not to romanticize a life that is hard, but to encourage you to let your wrinkles tell stories of a life that has been a great journey, rather than the markings of stress and anxiety. May the sweat on your brow come from dancing on the mountain top, rather than pacing in the valley. So, go ahead, dust off those hiking boots and start your journey. Do not end another day in regret. Be joyful always.

“We are born with potential, but we are not supposed to die with it.” –Erwin Macmanus