Twenty-Nine

Welp, tomorrow is the big day. I will officially be 29 years old. Eeek. You just think it will never happen, yet it does. Getting older, that is. It really does feel like one day you're sixteen and apparently, the next you're nearly thirty!

Time flies when you're having fun.

I never would have thought that I would be doing what I'm doing; At least not as a young teenager. I had good intentions of singing on Broadway, then finally pursuing an opera career. I was so motivated toward that goal that I spent a minimum of an hour every single day practicing arias and scales from the age of sixteen to eighteen. I was determined and stubborn.

Truthfully, I indefinitely wanted to be a wife and mother eventually. My heart was really in that. I wasn't sure exactly how all of that would pan out with my other ambitions, but I assumed somehow it would.

Time went by, and the closer I sought the heart of the Father, the more it became evident to me that that my heart and soul were not in that pursuit. I became burdened for the lost, and wondered what kind of eternal impact I might make on people who are merely attending an opera to be entertained. I wondered if it mattered if people laughed, thought highly of a mezzo soprano, or left feeling temporarily distracted from their problems and life issues.

There is nothing wrong with being entertained. There is nothing more fun and enjoyable than a good performance. It is moving, no doubt. But I didn't want to live for those temporary highs, or praises. I felt pulled by the Holy Spirit strongly in another direction altogether.

I remember dropping out of college as a vocal performance major and wondering where my life was headed. I remember having a season of seeking the Lord's face like never before.

A year later, after a whole lot of amazing events, I was married at nineteen. A decision I have never regretted for a second. We knew that God had set the whole thing up, and we didn't see the point in dragging out a good thing. We were married three months after we were engaged. You really can plan a wedding in three months. It was a beautiful, outdoor occasion at my Meme and Papa's country home. It was my dream wedding.

Our first years of marriage were awesome. Danny and I always got a kick out of those, "How's the married life? WELL, give it a couple of years!!" comments. Marriage was great in the beginning and has gotten sweeter every year. That's the honest truth.

After a couple of years, Josiah came along to join us. I became a stay at home mom. A couple of years after that came Isaac, and then three years after that Amaus was born. Now we have a daughter, Camila, who God blessed us with through adoption, and just recently found out that we are now expecting baby number five! Wow. That was the farthest thing from what I was sure was in my future at fourteen years old, I can promise that.

The last ten years have been a great adventure. There is no life like the abundant one found in walking with Jesus. I have never looked back and wished I would have continued the pursuits I thought were everything 15 years ago. Even in moments of reminiscing, I never wonder what could have been. I know without a doubt I'm living the ministry the Lord had for me.

Once in early marriage, after Isaac, our second son was born, I remember feeling really down that I couldn't get out more and be a part of every little thing that I felt was "ministry" in my church. One day, as I folded clothes on the couch and felt sorry for myself because Danny was able to 'go' and 'do' so much more than me, it was as if God hit me with the epiphany of the century. I knew it was from Him.

"You'll see a greater harvest from this ministry I've given you at home, than you'll ever see serving elsewhere."

There is no regret in being a 29 year old, stay at home mom. I believe there is a lot of potential in this "career" to impact generations, nations, and raise up leaders that our world is beyond desperate for. There is certainly a lot of joy in this thing I do. I wouldn't trade it for the greatest opera career in the world.

So, I suppose age is of little importance when it boils down to real happiness and real life. You get a little older. Each year, you change on the outside a bit more and you change on the inside a whole lot more. You realize time, friends and family are so incredibly valuable, and wealth, fame and notoriety just aren't.

You learn that laying down yourself for the sake of the hurting and broken is the beginning of life making sense. You understand how far you have to go, and you're thankful that God's mercies continue to be new every day and every year.

You recognize that gaining a few wrinkles around your eyes from laughing your face off with your spouse was worth every second, and gaining a few stretch marks while you felt life kicking inside of you was irreplaceable. You understand a bit more each year that life isn't always easy, but there is grace for every trial.

It's a privilege and an honor to be given another year even if i joke about being 26 and staying 26 from here on out. Another year older means another chance to sow into something worthwhile and lasting. It's another opportunity to bask in the love of Jesus and show others that great love.

I have to wonder what the next twenty-nine years will look like?
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My friend Paige who I asked for prayer for, and her husband found out this week that they were miraculously matched with two children from Peru. It is an amazing story! You can read about it Here
Thanks so much for praying with me!