Finding Peace in Your 20s
When I was young, I had high hopes for myself. But stuff happens. You fail more than once until you feel like you’re meant to fail, so you stop trying and just give up. Yeah, it hurts a lot. It is so frustrating since all you see in yourself is failing. It reaches a point where you feel like you did something wrong, like you deserve what you’re getting, like you’re being punished for something you did. But quite frankly, that’s not the case—you don’t know what you did. Sometimes you even blame those around you. Yeah, it sucks. Being in your 20s can feel hellish, but there’s something I found out: feeling like this means something. And to my surprise, it’s not that bad. Just give me a second, and I’ll change your perspective.
When I reached my 20s (fun fact: I still am), we feel a strong emotion to make our mark. We feel like if we don’t do it now, tomorrow might never happen. So we overload our brains with planning, saving, living, dating, and investing. Dude, it’s a lot—at least to me. These feelings and thoughts are not bad; they are really healthy and advisable. The problem comes when we overdo things. A very wise guy said, “Too much of anything is harmful.” Grandly, it makes sense: if you put a moderate amount of sugar in your coffee, it tastes awesome—but try twelve spoons of sugar in a cupful… see my point? It’s not about the direction but the force behind it. Basic physics. So having these thoughts is healthy, but the pressure behind them is what matters.
In the Bible, we read a story of a man who had it all and thought his wealth was enough to take him to heaven. He approached Jesus and asked, in a fun way, “Teacher, what do I have to do to enter eternity?” In his mind, he thought Christ would say, “Hey, you’re rich—you get a free pass for working hard.” But what happened? Christ understood his thinking and shattered his fantasy. He told him: to follow Him, give away everything—your land, your animals, your offshore accounts, your Gucci bag, your Louis Vuitton handbag, your new Jordans, your trust funds, and your investments—and follow me. Guess what happened? He froze and stopped talking.
What I’m trying to say is this: we pressure ourselves to gain all this stuff to look accomplished, but what’s the point if you can’t sleep, eat well, share human connection, grow relationships, or enjoy your youth? This is the time to have some fun—until we have fun again as parents and become old dudes.
Instead of being obsessed with making money, trust God, get saved, and all that you need will follow. And the keyword is: all that you need, not all that you want. Instead of chasing material things, invest your energy in your talents, family, relationships, friends, and a dream job that makes you smile when you go to work. Find work that makes you want to dance and sing, where your positivity is seen and felt.
Getting to know what you love might be hard, but try and try again. Make mistakes, fall as much as you can. Trust me—it will be worth it. And above all, give your life to Christ. Be a Christian. Be a light in a dark storm. I do believe with all my heart that change will happen in you, and you too will feel it.
Praise be to God. Amen.