3 years later

 Happy three year anniversary to my hubby and I!! To celebrate, we stayed home in our air conditioned house (brand new AC system 😵) 

The Lord put something on my heart a few weeks ago and I’ve waited to share it so I hope I’m not too late! Luckily He didn’t need to put me in a whale to get me to finally do what He asked… I just hope I say it right cause it’s kinda tricky  

1Timothy 4:12 NIV  Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.

I am a fresh 24 years old. Three years ago today, I got married in front of God and my family to my love, my hero, my William. Three months ago I gave birth to our daughter, and three months before that I bought a house. I’m not bragging I’m simply laying out my resume and setting the sene for what I have to say. 

I have felt like I was holding my breath for the last six months. To the point where I actually had pretty bad chest pain and needed to take a break from work because my lungs were swollen with stress (that’s a real thing). I’m so young. That’s what everybody (not EVERYBODY) says. In this economy, how can I afford anything? I don’t have the firm foundation of years of work or life under my belt. Maybe I’m not mature enough to raise a kid. I don’t know myself yet, my marriage will end in divorce because we will grow into “ourselves” and won’t like each other anymore. 

It feels like I’ve just skipped the line and gotten on a ride at Disney that says you have to be this tall to ride, even though I’m about a foot too short. This is too good to be true. How did I manage to accomplish this? When is the shoe going to drop? When will my husband and I enter that part of our relationship where we decide we hate each other and I spend the rest of my life in a loveless marriage? When is my house going to get foreclosed on, or burned down. At what point will my kid get taken from me because I’m not fit to be her mother. There is no way I’m 24 and handling ALL THIS. 

Well… in this case I don’t think age matters. The Lord has been showing me that over and over recently. I know people who are almost 30 that I don’t think are ready for marriage, and I know people who are 22 and impress me with their wisdom and maturity. One of the moms I’m friends with is 22, has an almost 2 year old, a house, and a wonderful husband. I was floored when I found out she was 22. I laughed it off at first thinking she was kidding. Either way though, God has a plan and timing for them. I worry that the younger people will be afraid of taking that step (and end up waisting time) because somebody older hasn’t reached that point yet.  

I was sitting in church and I saw a guy wearing a 1Timothy 4:12 bracelet and I just had this conviction wash over me. 

I was told countless times that I was too young to get married. I needed to wait. 

“Nobody ever said ‘I wish I’d gotten married younger’” 

But look at what I would have missed out on. Life’s GREAT adventure! Marriage has grown me, strengthened me, and sculpted me. Motherhood has tried me, softened me, and reassured me. Being a wife and a mother at the same time has been a challenge! A wonderful challenge, and I wouldn’t even be here yet if I had waited. I swore up and down to my mom that I wouldn’t get married until I was 23. But… I was pregnant at 23 😂 

Here is the thing though: my husband and I listened to God. We were ready for marriage and God gave us the green light. I’m so worried about things, forgetting that God is the one who gave them to me. I fear that somebody will be too afraid to take that leap. I fear that somebody will listen to what the world says and let it keep them from the greatest adventure of all time. 

Marriage isn’t easy. Homeownership sucks a little, but is also the best thing ever. Being an adult is scary. I find myself calling my mom, wishing I could go back to my little apartment, wanting to be a kid again, afraid of how I’m going to climb that mountain. Then, I reach the summit and all I see below and behind me, are the blessings the Lord was preparing me for. Sometimes, that blessing looks like a confidence in my ability to accomplish and conquer, other times it looks like sweet rewards for all my effort. 

Three years later, I don’t regret a day of it. Three years later I pray my husband and I have been an encouragement to other young couples. I hope we can inspire those around us, like those around us have inspired our lives. My whole point is this: 

Don’t be discouraged because you’re young. People are gonna talk. Everybody has something to say, not everything is worth listening to. Seek wisdom and discernment and don’t be afraid. Embrace youth, use it wisely. Above all, listen to the Lord 

Happy summer! May it be filled with launder and love