To The Girl Who Thinks She's Too Young To Make A Difference

A little over a month ago I moved into a new apartment across town. I’ll be the first to say that I hate moving because I hate packing and hauling boxes from one place to the next. But one of the few parts of moving I actually like is unpacking. I love finding new places to put my things, getting organized, and stumbling across things I had stored away and forgotten about in my old place.

As I was going through one particular box to unpack, I found a DVD of my high school graduation. (Yes, I’m the nerd that holds onto things like this.) So to fuel the nostalgic fire that will forever be in my heart, I popped the disc into my computer. I browsed through the scene selection menu until I found the part I was looking for: my speech.

During my senior year of high school, each student was invited to submit a speech proposal to a committee, and two students would be selected to speak at our graduation ceremony. I was super excited when my proposal was accepted, and I was asked to be one of the two speakers. Despite the red splotches that appear on my chest whenever I talk in front of people, I actually enjoy public speaking. So needless to say, I was looking forward to the opportunity.

The title of my speech was “No Age Limit Required.” I spoke about how God does not have an age limit when it comes to Him using someone for His glory. I talked about the importance of using the gifts and the talents He gave you at every age and stage of life. And I quoted Paul’s words to Timothy when he said, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12).

But if I’m being honest, as I sat in my room watching that speech now eight years removed from high school, I felt so guilty. I thought to myself, if at 18-years-old I could have that much confidence and conviction in saying your age shouldn't inhibit your ministry, why was I having such a hard time believing that to be true at age 26?

You see, at the time I was watching that speech, I was just a few weeks out from my first ever speaking engagement. I had been asked to come speak at a ladies event at a church in Tennessee, and I was so excited about it! But in the midst of that excitement, feelings of doubt and insecurity would creep in and would put all kinds of discouraging thoughts in my head. They would cause me to think things like:

“Kristen, do you really think you can do this?”

“What if your words don’t resonate with anyone in that room?”

“What if what you have to say isn’t what they were hoping to hear?"

“There are going to be women there with 2-3 times more life experience than you. What could you possibly offer them?"

If I wasn’t careful, I would let those doubt-filled statements set up camp in my heart, and I would begin to second guess everything. I would begin to buy into the lies that tried to convince me God couldn’t use a 26-year-old girl like me. I started thinking about the women in ministry I look up to. I thought about how mature and wise they are. I thought about how they had so much life experience and so many stories to tell. And I thought that there was no way I could have the same kind of impact when I was barely old enough to rent a car.

But when I saw my 18-year-old self stand at a podium in front of a thousand people and confidently state that God doesn’t have an age limit, I was reminded of what I know to be true. I was reminded of that encouragement that 1 Timothy 4:12 offers. No matter what age you are, no matter what stage of life you’re in, and no matter what seasons you have or haven’t walked through, God can use you to encourage and teach the people around you. 18-year-old Kristen taught me that, and I’m really grateful she had the boldness and the courage to do so.

So, wherever you find yourself today and whatever age you are, I hope you remember that the Lord can use you to bring Him glory however and whenever He wants to. You’re never to young to make a difference for the Kingdom of God. So as Paul says, don’t let anyone, especially you, look down on you, underestimate you, or disqualify you because you’re young. Set an example to the people around you as you walk through each year God gives you. Encourage the people you cross paths with, regardless of whether they’re older or younger than you. And never forget that in God’s eyes, there is no such thing as an age limit.