I hugged my best friend and said goodbye.
I hugged that infamous side hug I always do and said the next time I see you, you will be a mom.
I patted her belly and told the boys that we would all see them very soon.
And then I pulled out of the driveway knowing things were going to be different.
When you're young, the future seems so far off and that 30 year old that hangs out with you at youth group seems like an almost unattainable age. When you meet your best friend at the age of 14, you don't think about how your lives will change and how your world can grow beyond your front door. When you are eating cereal at 2 am, giggling about your latest crush at school, and quoting your favorite movie together, it's hard to see that one day it will all be different.
No one told me growing up would change things.
No one told me growing up looks different for everyone...even for best friends.
No one told me growing up would be an adventure.
No one told me growing up was a gift.
I have a countdown to my 30th birthday, and some days I'm excited to turn 30 and reach a new point in my life. That countdown is like a countdown to the rest of my life and the adventures I've yet to take. Other days that countdown stares at me like a death sentence. I'm going to be 30 and single. I'm going to be 30 with no set career. I'm going to be 30 with a fat cat and an empty fish bowl.
As I drove the long road home from Nashville, I caught myself reminiscing about old times with my best friend. Late night sleepovers full of prank calls and junk food. Teenage arguments at summer camp over dumb things. Wedding days. Early morning texts over coffee and Jesus.
And then I realized...things have already been changing.
We have evolved from those goofy, sometimes selfish, teenagers to women of God. One of us a loving wife and soon to be mom and the other a single woman full of adventure and heart.
Things have already been changing and it will soon be changing again.
I use to be afraid of change until I realized that God uses change to shape us and to grow us to be more like Him. Each change I've experienced through the years has shaped me. Some of those changes I fought to the bitter end and some of those changes I had countdowns to look forward to them.
The years of change have taught my best friend and I how to love each other better...how she can love her husband better...how I can love myself better...how we both can love God better. And now as we both have countdowns to very different life events, I am looking forward to seeing what these can teach us.
As she welcomes two baby boys, may we all learn to love more unconditionally.
To have patience when our to do lists aren't finished.
To show grace when our emotions get the best of us.
To seek God as we learn to adapt to change.
As I turn 30, may we all learn to embrace new adventures.
To enjoy those times we have alone.
To seek new opportunities to serve God.
To trust that God has a plan for the things you pray for.
Times are changing...
And my countdowns are for the adventures that lead to the rest of my life.
I hugged that infamous side hug I always do and said the next time I see you, you will be a mom.
I patted her belly and told the boys that we would all see them very soon.
And then I pulled out of the driveway knowing things were going to be different.
When you're young, the future seems so far off and that 30 year old that hangs out with you at youth group seems like an almost unattainable age. When you meet your best friend at the age of 14, you don't think about how your lives will change and how your world can grow beyond your front door. When you are eating cereal at 2 am, giggling about your latest crush at school, and quoting your favorite movie together, it's hard to see that one day it will all be different.
No one told me growing up would change things.
No one told me growing up looks different for everyone...even for best friends.
No one told me growing up would be an adventure.
No one told me growing up was a gift.
I have a countdown to my 30th birthday, and some days I'm excited to turn 30 and reach a new point in my life. That countdown is like a countdown to the rest of my life and the adventures I've yet to take. Other days that countdown stares at me like a death sentence. I'm going to be 30 and single. I'm going to be 30 with no set career. I'm going to be 30 with a fat cat and an empty fish bowl.
As I drove the long road home from Nashville, I caught myself reminiscing about old times with my best friend. Late night sleepovers full of prank calls and junk food. Teenage arguments at summer camp over dumb things. Wedding days. Early morning texts over coffee and Jesus.
And then I realized...things have already been changing.
We have evolved from those goofy, sometimes selfish, teenagers to women of God. One of us a loving wife and soon to be mom and the other a single woman full of adventure and heart.
Things have already been changing and it will soon be changing again.
I use to be afraid of change until I realized that God uses change to shape us and to grow us to be more like Him. Each change I've experienced through the years has shaped me. Some of those changes I fought to the bitter end and some of those changes I had countdowns to look forward to them.
The years of change have taught my best friend and I how to love each other better...how she can love her husband better...how I can love myself better...how we both can love God better. And now as we both have countdowns to very different life events, I am looking forward to seeing what these can teach us.
As she welcomes two baby boys, may we all learn to love more unconditionally.
To have patience when our to do lists aren't finished.
To show grace when our emotions get the best of us.
To seek God as we learn to adapt to change.
As I turn 30, may we all learn to embrace new adventures.
To enjoy those times we have alone.
To seek new opportunities to serve God.
To trust that God has a plan for the things you pray for.
Times are changing...
And my countdowns are for the adventures that lead to the rest of my life.
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