On Turning 30: A Birthday Reflection

Today, April 30, is my 30th birthday! Cheers to me!

I have been waiting for today with equal measures of excitement and dread. I have been excited because it is a milestone age (the big 3-0) but dreadful because I don’t have the life I hoped I would have at this age. For instance, I never expected to turn 30 without a husband, kid, or even friends by my side.

But I truly believe God’s plan for my life is still exceedingly good. Yes, even though I am not where I want to be in life, I am where God wants me to be, and I will rejoice in that. So instead of counting the failures of my twenties, I counted my blessings and celebrated what God did for me. Here are some highlights of my twenties.

20
  Turned 20! (I remember little about this year)
21
  Got a BS in Electrical Engineering
22
  Got my driver’s license
  Went on my first date (it was terrible)
23
  Bought my first car (I had to sell it in 2019, it broke my heart)
24
  Christ Jesus saved me from my sins
  Got a Master’s in Electrical Engineering
25
  Got my first full-time job
  Read the entire Bible for the first time
26
  Wrestled with God and prevailed (see Testing of my Faith series)
  Memorized a book of the Bible (James)
27
  Started this Christian blog
28
  Played the piano again (It has brought me so much joy!)
  Began reading Christian books and studying theology
29
  Got a second Master’s in Electrical Engineering (don’t ask)
  Joined a biblical church for the first time (I was in false churches or out of church previously)
  Got my first engineering job offer.

The Lord has been so good to me in my twenties! I have many more testimonies and stories that illustrate God’s faithfulness and kindness to me these past ten years. If I were to write them all, this blog would not have enough memory to contain them. And as I reflected on all my experiences during my twenties—the good, the bad, and the ugly, I compiled this list of 30 pieces of advice I would give my younger self.

1. Fear God and keep His commandments. It is the whole duty of man and probably the only advice on this list you should follow unquestionably.
2. Be discerning. Believe everything Scripture says and tests everything else. Just because something wears a Christian label doesn’t mean it is biblical.
3. Worry less, trust God more. Worrying accomplishes nothing except robbing you of God’s peace and giving you anxiety. I have been so anxious that chunks of my hair fell off, and had to shave my head. You do not want that.
4. Be killing sin. Sin is serious business; it is not something to treat lightly. Christ took sin seriously on the cross, and so should we.
5. Forgive frequently. Don’t hold on to grudges; forgive even if they don’t ask for forgiveness, just as God forgave your sins when you were still his enemy. I have held many grievances, and they never did me any good.
6. Apologize frequently. Always ask for forgiveness when you are in the wrong. Don’t resent apologizing first or being the only one to apologize; it is better to be reconciled than to be right.
7. Be proactive in sharing the gospel. Jesus said to go and make disciples, not wait for future converts to come to you. Seek opportunities to share the gospel and always be ready to give a defense for the faith.
8. Be content with what you have. The grass is not always green on the other side of the fence. And if you always seek for more, you will never be satisfied. If you cannot be content in Christ, you will not be content if only you had _____.
9. Give thanks without ceasing. Thank God for the rain as well as the sunshine; both are necessary to grow.
10. Join a local biblical church. The local church is one of God’s greater blessings for us in this life. Find a biblical one, be an active member, make it a priority, attend frequently, serve, and fellowship with other saints.
11. Do not be ruled by the fear man. Don’t compromise your values to please others. There is one who will judge you in the end, so live for that audience of one and care less about what others think.
12. Avoid debt as much as possible. Do not spend money you do not have to buy things you do not need. Credit cards can be helpful, but they can also be a snare. Be careful.
13. Study theology. Theology is not only for seminarians; studying it will not quench the Spirit or dampen your affections. You cannot love a God you do not know.
14. Make no provision for the flesh. Do not let yourself get into dangerous situations because you think you will resist temptation. You may not. It is not how close you can get to the fire without getting burned but how far away you can stay.
15. Step out of your comfort zone and take risks. Do not be afraid to try something because you might fail. You will surely fail at the things you do not do. And if God calls you to it, He will equip you for it.
16. Memorize Scripture. Memorize the entire New Testament or die trying. It is well worth the effort.
17. Flee false teachers. Life is too short to “chew the meat and spit the bones.” If a tree consistently produces rotten fruits, mark and avoid it.
18. Do not avoid intimacy out of fear. Be more vulnerable with others. Yes, they might wound you deeply, but it will still be worth it.
19. Learn to keep quiet. You are not entitled to have an opinion on everything nor share your every thought publicly. Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise.
20. Read good books. Read old books, read widely, and read deeply.
21. Do not wait for small voices, dreams, and visions to hear from God. Open His Word, and He will speak to you.
22. Do not play the “what if” game. God is sovereign overall, and there are no mistakes in His will. You are where He wants or allows you to be.
23. Be generous. Do not wait till you make it big before you give. Give according to your means and sometimes beyond your means. Also, be generous with your time, talent, words, gifts, skills, and possessions.
24. Keep a record of God’s faithfulness to you. Share it with others and teach it to your children and their children.
25. Read your Bible often. Everything tastes good when you are hungry, so feast on God’s rich Word daily so you don’t feed off tasteless junk. A scripture a day will keep heresy away.
26. Examine yourself to see whether you are in the faith. There are many false converts in the church, and you don’t want to be one.
27. Do not be full of yourself. Your life is vanity, and you are going to die. So get over yourself and get under God.
28. Do not go it alone. Find godly older men and women to mentor and disciple you. Find younger men and women to mentor and disciple.
29. Wait for the Lord. God’s timing is always right and perfect. If He seems late in answering prayer, don’t give up praying, and don’t sin to make it happen. It rarely, if ever, ends well.
30. Do not seek the glory of men. Always do everything as unto the Lord and for the glory of God.

For now, I do not have any set goals for my thirties. I have learned that man plans his way, but the Lord determines his steps. Also, I think I have made God laugh enough during my twenties. I only desire that I live through this next decade in the presence of God, under the authority of God, and for the glory of GOD. And may His goodness and mercies continue to follow me all the days of my life.

Teach me to number my days, O Lord, that I may get a heart of wisdom
Make me know my end and what is the measure of my days
Let me know how fleeting I am, and remember my life is a breath
And let this short life of mine be spent in bringing you glory.

As of this morning, I have no concrete plans for today. A few years ago, I was excited when I discovered that my 30th birthday would fall on a Saturday because I would party my head off. But now, I am exceedingly glad my 30th birthday is on a Saturday because one of the first things I will get to do in this new decade is to worship the One who gave me life. There is no celebration of me without Him.

  Grace and peace to you!