I've been having a slight life crisis because I realized the other day that it's been 25 years since I graduated high school. What? How? Time has absolutely flown by.
I posted my senior prom picture on Facebook several days ago after having a dream that Stewart dumped me just hours before prom. This would have been impossible because we did not know each other in high school. I also said the following:
I thought about the girl in this picture, and if I could tell her one thing, it would be this: It doesn't turn out the way you think it will, but God will make something beautiful of your life. So hold on. Get ready. And remember God's plans are so much better than yours!
Being a wannabe writer, I have pondered this concept more since then. What would I really say to this younger version of me if I had the opportunity? I remember that girl well. She had already lived a lot of life and had to grow up really quickly. She had a very narrow world view that only included the small private school she attended, her very small town, and her teeny tiny church. She tried her best to live for Jesus. She loved Him with all she had and had just started reading His Word and understanding it for herself. She wanted to serve Him - just as long as it didn't get in the way of doing what she wanted to do! She was ready to start her life. Ready to have new experiences. Ready to be a college girl. But if I had a few moments with her, here's what I'd say:
1. The next four years of your life will change your life forever. Louisiana College is going to radically switch how you think, your priorities, and what you want to do with your life. Your life will become all about Jesus, because you're going to realize that He is the only thing that is worth it. He is the only thing that matters. And His sacrifice on the cross deserves your whole life. And oh by the way, you are not going to marry a NFL football player. You're going to meet the man of your dreams in the most miraculous way at LC, and you're going to be a preacher's wife. A PREACHER'S WIFE! And guess what? You'll end up at seminary! And one day close to graduation, you'll walk across that beautiful campus in Fort Worth, Texas (Yes, I said Texas!), and cry over the fact that God allowed you to obtain two master's degrees there. Three weeks after crying again at graduation, you'll be crying as you marry that preacher. He is AMAZING, just so you know. He is everything you ever wanted. As I told you, LC will change the whole direction of your life!
2. As much as you say you don't want kids, you're going to have them. But I hate to tell you - you're going to be the mother of boys. Not girls. BOYS. Two of them. And you'll be a stay at home mom just like your mom was. One of those boys will amaze you every day with the things he knows and the stuff he can do without even thinking about it. The other one will amaze you just by his existence on the planet. He will stretch you, grow you, and make you rely on God more than you ever have in your entire life - and you know already how to do that because you've already had to do it. But this boy. This boy will rock your world. And get this - Diana, your best friend right now, will still be your best friend, and she will be raising two boys, too! The miracle of those two little ones will be a great joy to you as well. You'll get to watch adoption up close and personal and get to experience part of what your mom and dad experienced when they got you.
3. Remember when I referred to Mom in the past tense? Twenty five years from now, Mom will already be gone. When she dies, it will be one of the hardest seasons you will ever walk through. You will have to clean out your childhood home and sell it. Home base will be gone. Your hometown will never be the same to you. And it will be hard. Ask for help. Don't go it alone. Cry. Mourn. Take all the time you need.
4. As much as you don't want to be a stay at home mom, that's what you'll be for the most part. But God will do something amazing and use gifts you didn't even know you had to bless other people. That music degree you're getting? You're still singing and playing the piano. But sometimes you are the one leading and planning the entire worship service. You get asked to sing at places besides your own church. Worship will be life to you. Also, God will lead you to start writing a blog (more on this thing called the "internet" later). That stuff you write in your journal you will now write for the world to see. And this is the most amazing thing - people will sometimes ask you to speak and lead Bible studies for them! Can you believe that? That's why it's so important that you stay planted in the Word. Keep reading. Keep studying. You definitely will do that. Just don't ever neglect it.
5. Being a pastor's wife will be the greatest blessing and the greatest challenge of your life. You will get to go places and meet people you never would have met otherwise. You will get to see babies born, saved and baptized, and then get married. You will see lives transformed. But you will also hurt as your husband is criticized, he works long hours, and your family is scrutinized for every single thing you do. However, the blessings far outweigh the bad stuff. So hold on to those blessings with all you've got.
6. I know you're very close to your high school friends, but 25 years later, you won't have seen many of them since the night you graduated. I know that sounds hard to believe, but it's true. Then one day many years later, this thing called the internet arrives. Several years after that, people start connecting on this sort of online yearbook called Facebook. You will find some of your classmates on there, but it will never be the same. Everyone has grown up and had families and their own lives. But God will give you a brand new set of people in all the places you live (Yes, you're going to be moving some), and you will never really be alone. Your circle will just get wider.
7. The most important thing is this: God's plans are so much better than your own. Get ready to be amazed, girl. He's writing an epic story for you!
I posted my senior prom picture on Facebook several days ago after having a dream that Stewart dumped me just hours before prom. This would have been impossible because we did not know each other in high school. I also said the following:
I thought about the girl in this picture, and if I could tell her one thing, it would be this: It doesn't turn out the way you think it will, but God will make something beautiful of your life. So hold on. Get ready. And remember God's plans are so much better than yours!
Being a wannabe writer, I have pondered this concept more since then. What would I really say to this younger version of me if I had the opportunity? I remember that girl well. She had already lived a lot of life and had to grow up really quickly. She had a very narrow world view that only included the small private school she attended, her very small town, and her teeny tiny church. She tried her best to live for Jesus. She loved Him with all she had and had just started reading His Word and understanding it for herself. She wanted to serve Him - just as long as it didn't get in the way of doing what she wanted to do! She was ready to start her life. Ready to have new experiences. Ready to be a college girl. But if I had a few moments with her, here's what I'd say:
1. The next four years of your life will change your life forever. Louisiana College is going to radically switch how you think, your priorities, and what you want to do with your life. Your life will become all about Jesus, because you're going to realize that He is the only thing that is worth it. He is the only thing that matters. And His sacrifice on the cross deserves your whole life. And oh by the way, you are not going to marry a NFL football player. You're going to meet the man of your dreams in the most miraculous way at LC, and you're going to be a preacher's wife. A PREACHER'S WIFE! And guess what? You'll end up at seminary! And one day close to graduation, you'll walk across that beautiful campus in Fort Worth, Texas (Yes, I said Texas!), and cry over the fact that God allowed you to obtain two master's degrees there. Three weeks after crying again at graduation, you'll be crying as you marry that preacher. He is AMAZING, just so you know. He is everything you ever wanted. As I told you, LC will change the whole direction of your life!
2. As much as you say you don't want kids, you're going to have them. But I hate to tell you - you're going to be the mother of boys. Not girls. BOYS. Two of them. And you'll be a stay at home mom just like your mom was. One of those boys will amaze you every day with the things he knows and the stuff he can do without even thinking about it. The other one will amaze you just by his existence on the planet. He will stretch you, grow you, and make you rely on God more than you ever have in your entire life - and you know already how to do that because you've already had to do it. But this boy. This boy will rock your world. And get this - Diana, your best friend right now, will still be your best friend, and she will be raising two boys, too! The miracle of those two little ones will be a great joy to you as well. You'll get to watch adoption up close and personal and get to experience part of what your mom and dad experienced when they got you.
3. Remember when I referred to Mom in the past tense? Twenty five years from now, Mom will already be gone. When she dies, it will be one of the hardest seasons you will ever walk through. You will have to clean out your childhood home and sell it. Home base will be gone. Your hometown will never be the same to you. And it will be hard. Ask for help. Don't go it alone. Cry. Mourn. Take all the time you need.
4. As much as you don't want to be a stay at home mom, that's what you'll be for the most part. But God will do something amazing and use gifts you didn't even know you had to bless other people. That music degree you're getting? You're still singing and playing the piano. But sometimes you are the one leading and planning the entire worship service. You get asked to sing at places besides your own church. Worship will be life to you. Also, God will lead you to start writing a blog (more on this thing called the "internet" later). That stuff you write in your journal you will now write for the world to see. And this is the most amazing thing - people will sometimes ask you to speak and lead Bible studies for them! Can you believe that? That's why it's so important that you stay planted in the Word. Keep reading. Keep studying. You definitely will do that. Just don't ever neglect it.
5. Being a pastor's wife will be the greatest blessing and the greatest challenge of your life. You will get to go places and meet people you never would have met otherwise. You will get to see babies born, saved and baptized, and then get married. You will see lives transformed. But you will also hurt as your husband is criticized, he works long hours, and your family is scrutinized for every single thing you do. However, the blessings far outweigh the bad stuff. So hold on to those blessings with all you've got.
6. I know you're very close to your high school friends, but 25 years later, you won't have seen many of them since the night you graduated. I know that sounds hard to believe, but it's true. Then one day many years later, this thing called the internet arrives. Several years after that, people start connecting on this sort of online yearbook called Facebook. You will find some of your classmates on there, but it will never be the same. Everyone has grown up and had families and their own lives. But God will give you a brand new set of people in all the places you live (Yes, you're going to be moving some), and you will never really be alone. Your circle will just get wider.
7. The most important thing is this: God's plans are so much better than your own. Get ready to be amazed, girl. He's writing an epic story for you!
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| By the way, you won't be able to fit into this dress anymore. Two kids and all... |
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