When I was Young: A Poem About Reflections on Growing Up
When I was Young.... By Heather Inks
I discarded all the jeans that were too loose or fit just right.
And I kept the ones that were too tight.
When I grew up,
I gave away all the jeans that I had to lay down to zip up,
And I treasured the ones that weren't too snug.
When I was young,
I bucked the idea that makeup was used to enhance your natural beauty,
And I applied the makeup thick, noticeably and dark.
When I grew up,
I decided that scrubbing gook off my eyes nightly was not good for my skin,
And I learned that less is really more.
When I was young,
I wanted a mansion, then I saved and bought one,
Then I spent hours upon hours vacuuming a sea of white carpet that never stayed clean.
When I grew up,
I got rid of that ocean of white carpet,
And decided that I wanted to spend less time cleaning space and more time helping others.
When I was young,
I dreamed of becoming a broker,
I wanted to be rich and make the rich richer.
When I grew up,
I realized being rich was highly over-rated,
And decided to follow the advise to store your treasures in heaven where thieves cannot steal it.
When I was young,
I did not understand God's rules,
Do this and don't do that-It didn't seem relevant to modern times or much fun.
When I grew up,
I was fortunate to be spared much misery because of the rules I reluctantly followed,
And I regretted not living for Christ whole-heartedly because I realized the good plan He had in store for me had I trusted in Him and just followed.
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." Matthew 4:19 (NIV)
Jeremiah 29:11 - Passage Lookup - New International Version; BibleGateway.com
Matthew 4:19 - Passage Lookup - New Internation Version; BibleGateway.com
Published by Heather Inks
Heather is a social entrepreneur who educates on how to improve communities & the world. Heather's site has crafts, home improvement ideas, & social issues: www.HeatherInks.com She's an active writer, teache... View profile
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10 Comments
Post a CommentThank you JerseyNana and Jack for the kind comments. I think that the tight jeans and dark makeup scene is more typical to city life and industrialized nations with a large media influence. : ) It is better to go through the "teenage" identity years earlier than later-it more difficult to get in trouble on a bicycle wearing dark makeup, then driving around when a bit older. LOL God bless
I'm with the others here Heather. This is a great picture of growing up, which you certianly have. Grown up into Christian maturity, a godly, mature woman of faith and that is priceless. I can see why so many people have loved this poem. Transparency is so special because it makes others feel, "hey, I'm not the only one who went thru this". Thanks Heather. What a God-given gift you have. Well done sister in Christ. Blessings. : - )
Excellent, sometimes it takes more than aging to grow up! You did a good job!
Hi David - wow, what a compliment, "Years of living do not teach anything... but they DO offer the opportunity for growth and learning - If we are open to it, and you quite obviously are!!" Thank you for the kind words. You are so accurate when you state years of living do not teach anything... how can we get more people to know that? I have met 5 year old children, a few American ones but especially from other countries, who are so wise. More wise than some 40 and 60 year olds. How much better our school systems could be if we let young people graduate when they could show compentency and maturity-regardless of age-rather than just forcing them to put the time in (credits) and become burnt out, angry or bored. God bless.
Thanks for the compliments. I was reflecting on some things last night and decided to write a poem instead of my typical writing work-usually instructional like directions, lesson plans, and curriculum. I spent my early childhood in the country, very old-fashioned, and then moved to a big city with gangs & crimes, then I went back to the country. This is definitely related to the city life. Country life or island life (where I am now) is much more peaceful and laid-back. God bless.
Excellent work - and amen!
great expression of growing up
I love your poem. So true and insightful.
Years of living do not teach anything... but they DO offer the opportunity for growth and learning - If we are open to it, and you quite obviously are!!
Your personal insight into aspects of theologic introspection are fetching =-)