Dear Younger Me
Hebrews 12:2 — “Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Bart Millard sat in his living room, watching a familiar face on ESPN. It was a friend he had known for years, now a professional athlete.
When the interviewer asked why he loved baseball, the answer was unexpected. He shared that as a boy the athlete had been abused by babysitters, but the baseball field was the only place they could not reach him.
Hearing that struck Bart deeply. He understood what it meant to need a refuge. For Bart, it was music. Growing up with an abusive father, he had carried shame like a heavy coat he could never shrug off.
After the interview, Bart reached for his phone and sent a message. The words came straight from his heart:
“If I knew then what I know now, condemnation would have no power. My joy and pain would never be my worth.”
He added, “And if I knew then what I know now, it wouldn’t be hard to figure out what I would have changed if I could have heard ‘Dear younger me, it’s not your fault. You were never meant to carry this beyond the cross.’”
His friend replied, “Man, I’m in tears.”
Months later, Bart sat down to write the song “Dear Younger Me.” When he opened his phone and saw that message again, it all became clear. The song was already written. All he had to do was give it a melody.
That moment, where the words fit together perfectly, felt bigger than anything Bart had done before. The lyrics felt like a door opening to a room where he could finally lay down the past—the guilt, the blame, and the suffering.
Pain leaves scars, sure, but what other people did to you, or even what they didn’t do, wasn’t your fault.
God wants to restore you, heal you, and take away your shame. Just like Bart’s friend found safety on the baseball field, maybe you can find your safe place too—at the foot of the cross.
Dear Younger Me . . .
What would you tell your younger self if you had the chance? Email us what you would say:
info@887thecross.com.
LYRICS
Dear younger me
Where do I start
If I could tell you everything that I have learned so far
Then you could be
One step ahead
Of all the painful memories still running thru my head
I wonder how much different things would be
Dear younger me
Dear younger me
I cannot decide
Do I give some speech about how to get the most out of your life
Or do I go deep
And try to change
The choices that you’ll make cuz they’re choices that made me
Even though I love this crazy life
Sometimes I wish it was a smoother ride
Dear younger me, dear younger me
If I knew then what I know now
Condemnation would’ve had no power
My joy my pain would’ve never been my worth
If I knew then what I know now
Would’ve not been hard to figure out
What I would’ve changed if I had heard
Dear younger me
It’s not your fault
You were never meant to carry this beyond the cross
Dear younger me
You are holy
You are righteous
You are one of the redeemed
Set apart a brand new heart
You are free indeed
Every mountain every valley
Thru each heartache you will see
Every moment brings you closer
To who you were meant to be
Dear younger me, dear younger me
You are holy
You are righteous
You are one of the redeemed
Set apart a brand new heart
You are free indeed
You are holy
You are righteous
You are one of the redeemed
Set apart a brand new heart
You are free indeed
You are holy
You are righteous
You are one of the redeemed
Set apart a brand new heart
You are free indeed
Songwriters: Barry Graul / Bart Millard / Ben Glover / David Garcia / Michael Scheuchzer / Nathan Cochran / Robby Shaffer
