In line at the dollar store, I watched a little boy talk with his grandma while playing a game on her phone. He showed her different levels and actions he was doing in the game, and she tried to act interested. Finally, he showed her another game and said, “I used to play that game back when I was a kid.”

            I couldn’t help myself, “Aren’t you still a kid?”

            “Well, yeah. But you know. Back when I was a littler kid.”

            The grandma and I locked eyes and exchanged smirks. It’s funny how we perceive seasons of life based on where we are at the time.

            Lately I’ve thought about my teenage self and the arrogance I touted. I didn’t need help nor did I want it. If I couldn’t figure it out on my own, then it didn’t happen.

            To say that I’ve come full circle is an understatement. The prideful, I-don’t-need-anyone teenager has now been replaced with a grown-up who understands that I need help. I don’t always have the answer. And if there’s a better way to do something, I really want others to share.

            It seems like only yesterday that I was that hardheaded kid, just like it really was yesterday for that boy in the dollar store. Time has a way of slipping up on us, doesn’t it?  If we aren’t careful, our actions and attitudes from “back when I was a kid” will remain if we don’t take time to deal with them.

I’m so thankful God didn’t leave me like I was as a teenager. He’s carefully and tenderly led me to a place of surrender, repentance, and growth—and I wouldn’t go back for anything.

How about you? Are your “back when I was a kid” actions still strong and dictating your life? Or have you tried hard to become a better version of yourself over the years? Today’s the day to do some looking back to when you were a kid. What habits have you carried forward? What needs to change? There’s no time like the present.