The Girl I used To Be

Several years ago, I was feeling quite nostalgic. I recalled how simple life was when I was a child. It seemed like we didn’t have the worries and strife that we carry around as an adult. The more I thought about it, a poem, or a song began to form in my mind. As sometimes happens, I knew that I needed to write down these thoughts. Taking a little poetic license, because I was raised in the hills of Kentucky, instead of the hills of Tennessee, I sat down and wrote this song:

The Girl I Used To Be

I recall a simple time, when we didn’t have a dime,
But joys were overflowing just the same,
My childhood memories, just keep on calling me,
How I long to be the girl I used to be.

(Chorus):
Oh, I’d like to wander back, to that little mountain shack,
Nestled in the hills of Tennessee,
Where all the cares and strife were not a part of life,
How I long to be the girl I used to be.

Wading barefoot in the creek, picking apples off to eat,
Playing with a June bug on a string,
Hearing songs by Bill Monroe, as we’d feel the cold wind blow,
How I long to be the girl I used to be.

(Repeat Chorus)

Hard times didn’t seem so bad, ‘cause we had Mom and Dad,
And we just knew that things would be okay,
And we had faith in God, as down the road we trod,
How I long to be the girl I used to be.

(Repeat Chorus)

Writing this kind of gave me a warm, fuzzy feeling. These memories are a blessing, but I realize that we can’t go back to the way things were. We grow, and we change, and life’s challenges come our way. We don’t always look at life the same way we did as a child.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV), says, “Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things are passed away, all things are become new.”

We are not meant to become stagnant. We need to grow in knowledge and wisdom. Our thoughts should be on Him, and how to help grow His kingdom. We should think of others before ourselves. Our thoughts and our actions should be about what is pleasing in His sight. 

This reminded me of another song, that our praise team sings at church. I didn’t write this one, but I wish that I had. The lyrics go like this:

“No longer I who live, but Christ in me,
For I’ve been born again, I’ve been set free,
The hope of Heaven before me, the grave behind,
Hallelujah! You brought me back to life!”

So, instead of, “wading barefoot in the creek…” I hope that I can follow the instructions from Luke 14:23, which says:

“And the lord said to his servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.”

I’m glad that Christ doesn’t see who I used to be, but who I’m striving to be…in Him!

HAVE A GREAT THURSDAY!