Have you ever felt stuck and didn’t know what to do? YouTuber Stuart Edge explains what he did in the Hope Works video, “Writing Your Future Self A Letter | Hope Works at Home.”
When Stuart first started college, he worked cleaning port-a-potties. He’d often ask himself, “how did I end up here…where’s this job leading me…what does the future hold?” Even though he wanted to quit, he felt God’s prompting to keep going.
Stuart wrote a letter to his future self, “Dear Stuart…you’re cleaning port-a-potties right now and you have no idea how you do it. You wonder where you’ll be in 6 months.” He wrote about how God prompted him to stay at his job and hold on a little longer. Not much changed at work, but his hope in God’s word helped him moved forward. Instead of listening to talk radio and music while cleaning, he listened to inspirational podcasts.
One day while Stuart was cleaning, a podcast he listened to inspired him to buy a video camera and start making YouTube videos. He took the camera with him everywhere he went including a neighborhood campout. A person at the campout asked him questions about his commitment to filming and offered Stuart an internship learning how to make YouTube videos.
Stuart quit his cleaning job and started the internship. He learned filming, video editing and productions skills. A few months into his internship Stuart created a YouTube video that went viral. His career path changed forever. God knew what was ahead for Stuart and He knows what’s ahead for us.
Hope works even in our stuck moments. We can take time to pause, reflect and feel the smallest sense of hope that God is aware of us.
Dear Stuart, This video was forwarded to me via Facebook by a good man and friend, Larry Richman. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, it often becomes difficult to find a goof fit for some clients’ need to find their true self. Many tools are available to the individual who struggles with serious difficulties, physically, emotionally and spiritually. All three of these make up part of the whole person. One of the most important aspects of life is to find ourselves. This technique of writing to oneself, is vital in the process of personal understanding. Self-talk and Writing Oneself a Future Letter is another are expressions to oneself as if an expectation is in line with the teachings of the Master. He has repeatedly invited us to love others as oneself, to forgive all men, including oneself, and to work out our Salvation as oneself. None of these is good by itself. However, with the promptings of the deepest impressions from on High, the task at hand becomes revelatory. Thank you Brother Stuart Edge for your sincere message. Please take good care of yourself. Blessings, Ed van Gass, LCSW.