I am 23 years old and all my friends are married.

I am 23 years old and all my friends are married.

Ever since I was a little girl, I have always been a planner. I planned everything from what I would wear that day and the next, to my own birthday parties. I knew all the people I wanted there and everything that we would do, and if something didn’t work out as planned, look out, because it wasn’t going to be pretty. I didn’t handle disorganization or “bumps in the road” very well. I liked to have everything planned out perfectly and for it to run just as smooth.

So with that visual in your head, you can imagine the little girl inside me that started to scream and freak out when I didn’t make it into PT school like I had planned, when I didn’t end up in Colorado after school like I had planned, or how about the main topic of this evening, didn’t get married at age 23 like I had planned?! To some of you this might seem a little ridiculous, but what if all of your closest friends were married and you were not? How would you be feeling?

Let me tell you how I felt and how I know some others might be feeling as well. How about alone? Behind? Forgotten? Lost? Overlooked? Not important? Unloved? Do any of these hit like a punch in the face for you? Because I know they all did for me.

Okay so “all” of my friends might be an exaggeration, but a solid 7/10 of my closest friends is close enough. And if they aren’t married, then they are either in serious relationships or might already have kids. And where does that leave me? Left in the dust.

You might ask why I and so many others feel this way? Honestly, it’s no one else’s fault really, besides our own. Yeah, the side comments like “Are you seeing anyone, YET?” or “Do you have anything EXCITING going on in your life?” might hurt and cut a little deeper each time they get asked, but really, it's all how we view our own situation and ourselves.

Are we really “alone”? Or are we basing our loneliness off of having a significant other? Are we really being left “behind”? Or are we basing our life success and path off of others or what society is telling us? Are we really “forgotten”? Or are we just not putting in the effort to be apart of people’s lives anymore? Are we really “lost”? Or have we lost sight of God’s plan and purpose for our lives? Are we really “overlooked”? Or are we just belittling ourselves because we haven’t checked all of life’s boxes yet? Are we really “not important”? Or are we basing our view of ourselves off of what the world thinks? Are we really “unloved”? Or are we just not acknowledging the love we received and still receive everyday from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ? Are all these feelings actually true statements about ourselves? Or are they just lies from the enemy?

LIES!! All of these feelings that we have felt or are feeling that are negative about ourselves, they are all lies from satan. He throws these lies at us like darts to our heart, and he can hit a pretty good bullseye… if we let him.

The choice is yours. Are you going to let these lies, satan is throwing at you keep you from living the life God has planned for you? Are you going to let him keep you from feeling true love, that only comes from knowing and developing a relationship with our one true Creator and Savior? Are you going to let him deceive your mind into thinking we are unworthy of knowing the TRUTH? Or, will you recognize that these are all LIES from satan himself, and CAST THEM OUT?!

I beg you, CAST THEM OUT! Satan has NO power over you or your mind! Cast them out, like the lies they are and the liar he is.

John 10:10 - “The thief (satan) comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I (Jesus) have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

Fill yourself with the TRUTH. The only way to know who you truly are and the amazing plan God has planned for you is to develop a relationship with Jesus, Himself. PRAY. Talk to Jesus. I promise you, He listens, and He answers… in His timing. Know that His timing is perfect and trust that He knows best. GET IN THE WORD. Read your Bible. Get to know the Lord and who He has created you to be.

Genesis 1:27 - “So God created mankind in His own image”

John 17:17 - “Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth.”

2 Samuel 22:31 - “As for God, His way is perfect: the Lord’s word is flawless; He shields all who take refuge in Him.”

Jeremiah 29:11 - “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

I pray that we know God has a plan for our lives, a plan that is perfect and unique to each individual. I pray that we know each person’s plan has different timing. I pray that we seek out the plan that the Lord has planned for us and don’t get caught up in everyone else’s plan. I pray for patience and obedience, that we may listen to what the Lord has to say to us and that we don’t rush His plan or steer away from it. I pray for peace and joy in the stage that we are each in right now. I pray we love each day as they come and that we may not dwell on the past or worry about the future. I pray that the Lord protects our minds from satan’s lies. I pray that we are able to recognize the lies when they hit and that we cast them out, in Your name, Jesus Christ. I pray we put our whole lives in Jesus’s hands, knowing that He is in charge, that He loves us, and will never forget us. I pray we put all of our trust in Him.

I pray we always give You all the praise and glory You deserve, Lord. I love You.

Love,

Your daughter