How do our ages and seasons of life affect our viewpoints and our perspectives on life? I, too, have wondered this. Recently, when I was perusing on Pinterest, I saw different pins with life advice and I started to wonder how different people hold fast to different words of wisdom, positive ideas, and general rules of kindness and well-being.

So, I interviewed different people of different ages (from two to seventy-five!) to see what life advice (whether practical, theological, or basic) they follow, wish to follow, or have always seen as guiding words for their life. Starting with a two-year-old...

"Be kind." (2)

"Help people." (5)

"Love one another." (7)

"Live life well and don't get in trouble." (9)

"With my physical disability, I have learned to be thankful for the life that God gave me." (14)

"We were all made in God's image, so who are we to put down His other creations?" (18)

"College freshmen: Don't overthink things." (18)

"When things seem impossible, just trust that God is going to take care of it." (19)

"Life becomes a lot easier when you stop worrying about the things you can’t control. Let go of what you cannot change, focus on what you can." (20)

"Don't make decisions based on what everyone always does, what is considered normal, or what is expected of you… Follow your passions and work hard to live life by design, not by default." (21)

"Do everything to the best of your ability with the gifts that God has given you." (21)

"Don't be afraid to go against the grain, stick to your convictions." (21)

"If you are ever in doubt, it is never incorrect to be kind." (23)

"For new college students, make an appointment with your department director for class advisement! If I would have done that in the beginning, I would have been in school for four years instead of five!" (25)

"God doesn't give grace for the "what-ifs" in life, He only gives grace for the situations we actually go through." (26)

"That which is most personal is most universal. Basically, no matter how alone you feel, someone else is probably going through the same thing." (28)

"When you're walking with Jesus you're always on the move as He grows and stretches us to be more like Him." (36)

"Always be willing to listen intently." (44)

"Keep your priorities in order by putting God first, family second, and others third." (46)

"Enjoy the moment. Don't try to rush through." (53)

"Don't let anyone spoil your joy for the day!" (65)

"It's important to stay healthy. Eat right, exercise, and get the right amount of rest." (75)

From these quotes, I found some interesting things about how we view life and our part in life based on our age. When we are young we see the need to focus on the basic principles: be kind to others. As we hit our teens and lower twenties, we learn to be thankful for what we have and trust that our life is being controlled by One so much mightier and wiser than us.

In our twenties, we see how important it is to take advantage of where we are right now: work hard and care for others by realizing that there are people around us who are dealing with issues and situations, too. In our thirties and forties, it's important to trust that Jesus is sanctifying us in those moments that we can't seem to understand right then.

But in these moments, continue to trust in Him and love His people well so that He might be glorified. In our fifties, sixties, and seventies we need to see that life is a blessing; enjoy every day and continue to take care of yourself so that you have more days here on earth to grow and impact others.

At the end of the day, no matter how old you are, it all comes down to love. God loved us and so we love others. Respect others, care for them and serve them in their season of life. Life is a blessing, don't waste it on bitterness, hatred, or ungratefulness.

We should be "reverent in the way [we] live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good." We should aim to be "self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind...so that no one will malign the word of God." {Titus 2:3-4}