Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them- Eccl 12:1

Many of us have spent our youth pursuing personal goals and dreams, forgetting that one day we’d have to give an account of our life and the opportunities we had. And some of us have had it more straightforward than others. You had your first house at 18, lived in the city’s best neighbourhood, and drove the most expensive car among your friends. But all that will be of no importance when we cross into eternity, where earthly achievements have no relevance. No one will ask you at heaven’s gates what school you attended, what car you drove on earth or how many followers you had on social media.

Shouldn’t we pursue our dreams, then you’re probably asking?

Yes, we should. God delights in seeing us follow our dreams, but He’s more pleased when we fulfil His purpose.

Apostle Paul in Phil 3:7-14 said

But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss (N)for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having (O)my own righteousness, which is from the law, but (P)that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;

10 that I may know Him and the (Q)power of His resurrection, and (R)the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 if, by any means, I may (S)attain[b] to the resurrection from the dead.Not that I have already (T)attained,[c] or am already (U)perfected. Still, I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have [d]apprehended. Still, one thing I do, (V)forgetting those things which are behind and (W)reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 (X)I press toward the goal for the prize of (Y)the upward call.

Apostle Paul made it his life mission to fulfil God’s purpose for his life. Everything he’d acquired in the natural he deemed less important than the pursuit of purpose.

He was well educated and could have been anything he wanted, but he chose to be a mouthpiece for God, and the Lord honoured him in return by giving him access to the deep mysteries of the kingdom, of which you and I are now partakers. None of this would have been possible if Apostle Paul had chosen to live for himself.

So give the Lord your best years, and He’d make the most out of your very existence.