Editor’s note: “The Spoken Word” is shared by Lloyd Newell each Sunday during the weekly Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square broadcast. This will be given Sunday, June 4, 2023.
Do you sometimes wish you could live your life over? Maybe you made some regrettable choices or let opportunities pass, and you think, “If only I knew then what I know now, I would have done things differently.”
With that thought in mind, a teacher of teenagers got an idea. She decided to take an informal survey of adults she knew and asked them this question: If you could go back in time and give your younger self some advice, what would you say? The teacher then gathered the responses and shared them with her class.
Interestingly, nearly all of those adults said they would advise their younger selves to have hope — to be optimistic, to look for the good in life and to live a life of gratitude.
We often think of the younger generation as hopeful and optimistic. But young people need encouragement too. In fact, this generation seems especially aware of the problems in today’s world. They need someone who’s walked a little farther on life’s path to reassure them that it’s going to be OK, that there is peace and progress ahead, that problems are fixable and people are loveable.
That’s exactly what the survey respondents felt inspired to tell the younger generation. One person declared, “The future is bright! God has wonderful things in store.” He went on to suggest that one way to cross the bridge from despair to optimism is to write down the thoughts, ideas, and spiritual moments we have as we pray or study the holy scriptures.
Another person shared the idea to keep a gratitude journal. Fill the pages of that journal, she counseled, and you’ll fill your life with joy. You really do find what you’re looking for, so look for the good!
It would be nice if we could turn back the clock and live that advice in our younger years. We can’t relive the past, but we can live now. Each of us is given a new sunrise every day and more of life’s path to travel. Those behind us on the path need to know — and we all need to remember — that the best views are still ahead.
Tuning in …
The “Music & the Spoken Word” broadcast is available on KSL-TV, KSL News Radio 1160AM/102.7FM, KSL.com, BYUtv, BYUradio, Dish and DirecTV, SiriusXM (Ch. 143), tabernaclechoir.org, youtube.com/TheTabernacleChoir and Amazon Alexa (must enable skill). The program is aired live on Sundays at 9:30 a.m. Mountain Time on these outlets. Look up broadcast information by state and city at musicandthespokenword.com/viewers-listeners/airing-schedules.
