THE BIG 29! But, what will 30 look like?!?!

So I will be turning the big 29 next month! Yikes!!! It will be my last year of my twenties and I'll be stepping out into a new chapter of life. THIRTY! #getitgirl But what will that look like?!?!

The last few weeks  I have really been thinking so much about this new chapter in my life I will be stepping into next year. I have been reflecting and thinking so much about what the last 9 years in my twenties looked like and what I want  the next 10 years in my thirties to look like and ultimately be.

The last 10 years have been an incredibly journey for me. I have served my country in the military, I rededicated my life to Christ, I became a wife, we bought and built our first home, I became a mom....twice. I became a stay at home mom. I have cultivated some amazing friendships, rekindled ones from past, and most importantly I have grown so much deeper in my walk with Christ. Now, these are some of the ups of the last decade, of course there have been moments of heartache, pain, loss and downs to go with those ups, but to save space and tears, I'll refrain from posting those. 

Ultimately, I feel like I have accomplished some pretty great and neat things this last decade. God has been faithful and has blessed me beyond measure. I look back over these last 9 years and all I can say is, It' is totes a God thing and couldn't do any of it with out His grace and provision.  It has been a blessed ride.

But, I can't help but focus my attention on those people who have helped me along the way. Those people who poured into my life, and without them I don't think I would be the woman, wife and mom I am today. More than anything, I think about the women in my life who helped me grow in my relationship with Jesus. Those women, who modeled for me what a woman after God's heart truly looks like. Those mother's who took the time to pull me under their wing and show me the ropes of a Godly motherhood. Those wives who were open, honest and guided me into biblical wife-hood. Those women who were and still are my mentors. 

I feel like that is the next chapter for me.

I am entering into this chapter in life where I am going to be that mentor to that young woman. That young me. I am going to be that mom who takes the new mom under the wing. The wife who nurtures the new bride. The woman who mentors the younger women. So what does that mean? 

 I recently had the privilege and honor to connect with a young woman a couple weeks ago on this subject. She is entering into wife-hood soon. She will make one amazing Godly wife. She is so special, and God truly has His hand on her and it is such a joy to see her entering into this new chapter. So thankful to witness it! Recently she wrote a blog post about the type of woman she wants to become. Her words rocked the core of my heart. It touched me so much. She writes...

"As I prepare for and plan a wedding, apply for jobs, and prepare to be the Godly wife Jesus has called me to be, there is nothing sweeter than learning from these women who have been there and want the best for me. Watching the way they love their husbands, watching the things they've taught their children, watching the way they invest their time and energy... it's been one of the sweetest gifts. That's the kind of woman I want to become."

This is what being a mentor is.

 I think so deeply about her words when I read this. I think about how my actions are noticed. How I nurture and teach my children and how that is seen. How I love my husband and how that is shown. The type of woman I am for Him and in the world. Does His light shine enough? What type of example am I leading? Am I being what God has called me to be in these areas? 

Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. ~ Titus 2:3-5 

I will be first to admit I fail in these areas...daily. But, I thank God for His grace, direction, guidance, His word and His Spirit that convicts and gently nudges when I am off track. I am thankful for the women and spiritual mentors in my life that have pointed me towards His word. That have turned me towards the cross when I wanted to turn towards the world. I pray I can be half the mentor that they were/are to me. I pray that I can honor God and bring Him glory in these ares of my life so that His light can shine and I can be the example, leader and mentor He has called me to be. Will you join me in prayer for this too?

So, I feel the call on my life is to be a mentor to the younger women and to women who are entering these stages of life. I am far from perfect but, I know the struggles, the fears, worries and challenges young women face. I know how it feels to ultimately need a woman's guidance and spiritual advice. How it feels to grasp at straws trying to be this picture perfect Proverbs 31 woman,  and fail. How you feel you are doing everything right, but all wrong at the same time in motherhood. Those days where you don't want to love your husband much less yourself, and how I am so thankful for those women who took time to pour His truth on those days into my life. 

So this next chapter in life for me among other things God has called me to be,  a wife and mom myself....will be to be a mentor to younger women and women who are entering into those next amazing stages of life; wife-hood and mother-hood.  To pour His truth into them and to help guide them in His will for them. I thank every single woman and spiritual leader who has been this for me this last almost decade, and please do not stop now. Keep pouring and loving and encouraging me and other women who are now being new mentors too. We need you still. Never stop mentoring us. 

So I'm turning the big 29 and 30 is looking amazing! I am pumped, eager and willing and ready for all that God has prepared and planned for me as a wife, a mom, a friend, God's child, and mentor. 

Lastly, I am excited or those ladies who are looking for a spiritual mentor/mother. I encourage you to pray that God will lead you to one. You need one.  Pray for her too because she needs you to pour into!

Just a little side note: please don't hold us up on a pedal-stool though. We want to lead by example, and be the Titus 2 woman God has called us to be. We want to honor and glorify Him with our lives, but we are human and we mess up too. We make mistakes and we are perfectly imperfect just like you are in Christ. We will be there to guide you in these new stages of life, and pour His truth into your lives, but we need guidance too at times. If there is something we are both stumped about....we can approach His Word, and soak in His truth together. <3