Deepish Thoughts

I feel quite reflective lately.
A sweet girl I know, quite young, become a mother recently.
Part of me feels like something has come full circle.
It was just over 11 short years since I sat in those shoes.
A teen mother.
Wow.
When I look back time has passed so swiftly yet the years have been so full.
God has revealed much, but I know I have much still to learn.
And that I ought to be much further along in my understanding, only I have kept myself from it.

But still, what have I learned?
What could I pass on to a young person who is in that place that I was.
Scared.  Humbled.  Still stubborn and naive to life.
Wanting to know right, but not fully prepared for the extent for which God would like to take me.

If I could impart this one thing: GROW.  Chase your Lord, though the Lord does not run from us.
Dear teenager, pursue Him passionately, as you would study to get your license, practice to make the sports team, or w/ the energy you put into getting noticed by that boy/girl you like.  Dive into the Word, and don't come up until its pierced your soul.  Do hard things and practice what you read.
Secondly, for this young mom, I would have to say, surround yourself with godly women and men.  Seriously, a new mom, a mom of young children, and especially a young new mom of young children is in such a vulnerable place.  Energy and emotion is sucked dry with the caretaking of an infant, and that leaves a girl's soul wide open to the enemy.  This is no time to be taking advice from well-intentioned (or not) but clueless friends either not in that situation or worse, they are.  If narrow is the road that leads to heaven, the road for a teen mom is even narrower.  When she hasn't had the opportunity to mature fully or grasp a more rounded perspective on life, then things become askew.  I used to feel lonely as I was the only person around me my age going through what I was going through and I had many "mother hens" imparting their "wisdom" warranted or not.  But now I see with gratitude that God's hand was guarding me, sparing me the misguided guidance of my fellow youth.  Here He strategically used older Titus 2 women to set examples.  What a blessing.  And I was willing most of the time to learn from them.  I thank God for giving me a desire to learn, and through the birth of my daughter, the understanding that I don't know it all.

And I have learned through looking back, the power of prayer, as I know many people were praying for me, so I gladly fall to my knees to intercede on this girls life and that of her child and her child's father, knowing fully that God will honor these prayers, because it is the desire of His heart as well to draw this little family unto Him.