I looked at Peter the other day and said "You know what? Only half of my 20's were great." Let me explain. For the first half of my 20's I was:
-Working a job (that I did love but knew that I ultimately wanted to be a wife and mom)
-Single and/or dating Peter (there is nothing wrong with being single but it wasn't my preferred status ;)).
-Insecure about who I was and the decisions I was faced with and therefore much like the ship that James describes in the Bible as being tossed about on the sea. I wish I could go back and re-live those decisions as the person I am now because I am much more confident.
-Unsure about my future - wanting to meet someone and marry but at the same time, not wanting to wait to live my life until I did....it was hard to balance that or know how to navigate it.
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| Early 20's |
2 weeks after I turned 25, we got married. In a lot of ways, it feels like that's when my life really started because I moved to Boise and started a whole new life with Peter. Not that there was anything wrong with my life before, but I was a girl living in a smaller town (with hardly any singles) and in close proximity to the life and family that I had always known. When I married Peter, I essentially started over somewhere completely new and as a wife - a whole new identity.
It's hard to believe that I've only had 5 years of marriage with him. In some ways, it feels like so much longer. Things have changed so much. I have changed so much! Going on this journey with Peter and experiencing Jesus's amazing redemption in our lives and marriage has been the best thing that has ever happened to me. The grace that I have been shown by Jesus and Peter has transformed the person that I am and made me much more confident and secure (and therefore content/ joy-filled).
Becoming a mama (twice) gave me an anchor and a new role which adds a huge element of purpose, joy, fulfillment, reward etc to my life. These two are the biggest blessings that have ever come to me.
We have been able to experience living in 3 different states as a married couple (although not very long yet in this 3rd one!) and we have made so many good friends and memories along the way. It is amazing to see God's faithful hand in our lives through it all and to watch Him carefully navigating each move at a specific time/season in our lives.
Life has not ever been dull or boring to say the least. =)
God has been very, very, abundantly good to me and I am humbled as I reflect on it. My 20's were about experiencing singleness, marriage, moves, God's redemption in my life and marriage, and becoming a mama and a family. It was a great decade.
Come on 30's, show me what you got!
-Joy
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