A girlfriend of mine and I were discussing stereotypes of Christian women the other day and I thought that I would share some insight based on two categories: marriage & babies.
Marriage
Let me start by saying I got married young and am very happily married. What makes me sad is the fact that this is an expectation of most young christian women. There is absolutely nothing wrong with you if you are not married by a certain age or if you aren't dating someone. Just like this verse says, there is a season for everything, so single ladies, live it up! The last thing that you will want to do is look back on your season of singleness and have regret. Travel. Figure out who you are. Set goals for your future and start accomplishing them. Work multiple jobs and figure out what you are passionate about. Develop deep friendships. Volunteer. When you are married and have responsibilities these things become a lot harder to do. {My intent is not to make marriage sound hard but once again different seasons have different characteristics, good and bad}. Also, don't settle just for the sake of getting married. Marriage is such a huge commitment and shouldn't be taken lightly. Wait on God and His timing (if marriage is even part of His plan for you).Babies
Let us remember that God has different plans and purposes for all us. Some will remain single, while others will get married. Neither of these is good or bad. Don't get caught in the trap of defining yourself or others by their relationship status. Let your relationship with Jesus define you. Make an effort to encourage others in every season of their life.
Have you ever experienced an awkward situation mentioned above? Any thoughts on this topic?
I have! I have! I still don't know the whole story but I asked my girlfriend multiple times when her and husband were going to have another baby. She was just such a mother-type and we were always talking about kids. So, it felt natural for me to ask. But then one day a comment was made by her more closer friend which led me to believe they cannot conceive anymore for whatever reason and that it was a touchy subject. I felt awful because all the times I had asked her about having more kids, she always shrugged it off. I really pray I didn't cause her any pain. This post is such a GREAT reminder. Not everyone is going to take the same road you do and that's okay. Love it Josie! <3
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I think most struggle with wanting to get married and then with wanting babies right away instead of enjoying the season they are in. Good message not to rush it and great reminder to keep our noses out of others business :)
ReplyDeleteGreat reminder. I think I am finally learning this slowly! We were engaged for a year and a half because of job situations and man was I ready when I walked down that aisle! And some day we want children but for now we are content with the season of newlywed we are in. I'm also surprised that no one has asked us yet when we are going to have kids. We've actually had people in the church (our church has the average age of about 65) advise us to wait a year or more! I heard from so many people we'd get the question right away it's been nice not having it!
ReplyDeleteI loved this post Josie. I just now am reading it because I didn't see it before... but it is by far one of my favorites so far.:-)
ReplyDeleteAs a single young woman, I have definitely felt others put the pressure on me to be married and have children by a certain age. I only recently started dating someone after 3.5 years of being single, and I haven't wanted to be in a relationship through that time. I was spending that time focusing on what I needed to focus on during that time. Sometimes following God looks different in different chapters, or seasons. Sometimes following God looks different from one person to the next and as you said, we never know the history or what's going on within that person. Compared to most people I know, I sometimes am the odd one because I have different goals and different perspectives on some of these topics... but in the time I've spent learning more about who God wants me to be... I've grown stronger in those areas. I've been blessed to be able to continue growing in the person GOD MADE me to be... I think we all ought to be striving after that, rather than other's expectations or other peoples seasons. Now, because I spent the time I did, I am an an entirely different place and is the Only reason I know what I would want in a marriage. Thanks for a great post and much wisdom :)