The Music & the Spoken Word broadcast airs live via TV, radio, and internet stream on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. mountain time. For information on other airtimes, visit “Airing Schedules” at musicandthespokenword.org.

Music

Conductor: Mack Wilberg and Ryan Murphy
Organist: Andrew Unsworth
Announcer: Lloyd D. Newell

“Saints Bound for Heaven”¹
Music: American folk hymn
Arrangement: Mack Wilberg

“Meditation”
Music: Johann Sebastian Bach and Charles Gounod
Arrangement: Mack Wilberg

“Hark, All Ye Nations!”²
Music: George F. Root
Lyrics: Louis F. Mönch
Arrangement: Mack Wilberg

“How Great Thou Art” (organ solo)
Music: Swedish folk tune
Arrangement: Dale Wood

“Awake and Arise, All Ye Children of Light”
Music: Welsh melody
Lyrics: David Warner
Arrangement: Mack Wilberg

“Shall We Gather at the River?”
Music and lyrics: Robert Lowry
Arrangement: Ryan Murphy

“Music Everywhere”²
Music: Ryan Murphy
Lyrics: adapted from S. W. Foster

1. From the album Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing.
2. From the album Let Us All Press On.

The Spoken Word

Advice to Your Younger Self

June 4, 2023
Joni Hilton

Do you sometimes wish you could live your life over? Maybe you made some regrettable choices or let opportunities pass, and you think, “If only I knew then what I know now, I would have done things differently.”

With that thought in mind, a teacher of teenagers got an idea. She decided to take an informal survey of adults she knew and asked them this question: If you could go back in time and give your younger self some advice, what would you say? The teacher then gathered the responses and shared them with her class.

Interestingly, nearly all of those adults said they would advise their younger selves to have hope—to be optimistic, to look for the good in life, and to live a life of gratitude.

We often think of the younger generation as hopeful and optimistic. But young people need encouragement too. In fact, this generation seems especially aware of the problems in today’s world. They need someone who’s walked a little farther on life’s path to reassure them that it’s going to be OK, that there is peace and progress ahead, that problems are fixable and people are loveable.

That’s exactly what the survey respondents felt inspired to tell the younger generation. One person declared, “The future is bright! God has wonderful things in store.” He went on to suggest that one way to cross the bridge from despair to optimism is to write down the thoughts, ideas, and spiritual moments we have as we pray or study the holy scriptures.

Another person shared the idea to keep a gratitude journal. Fill the pages of that journal, she counseled, and you’ll fill your life with joy. You really do find what you’re looking for, so look for the good!

It would be nice if we could turn back the clock and live that advice in our younger years. We can’t relive the past, but we can live now. Each of us is given a new sunrise every day and more of life’s path to travel. Those behind us on the path need to know—and we all need to remember—that the best views are still ahead.