If I were 22 in 2019

I had one of my favorite conversations ever last week and it's had me all in my thoughts.

Timmy and I have an awesome story -- full of a lot of laughs, a lot of adventures and ALL of God's kindness. Nothing about our story felt magical or glamorous in the moment (thank you pre-instagram living). We had no idea what we were doing, we just had a goal to make the most of each moment, each season, for God's glory and with obedience as our only real measure of success.

We bought a house the week after Timmy had his first directly deposited paycheck to make the bank feel better about giving us a loan, and we've lived in that same house for 10 years. Not glamorous. Not even updated, ha! Still got all the same light fixtures and outdated countertops. We did upgrade the back porch because #priorities.

We've had a lot of jobs and we've taken a lot of pay cuts. We've experienced extreme loss and grief. And we've traveled the world having more fun than is probably recommended.

Here's what I would tell myself if I was 22 in 2019…

Nothing feels glamorous while you are in it! Make decisions and enjoy each day as it's called today.

You are currently building your dream life and you don't even know it. Don't TRY to build a dream life, just live the life you've been given. And one day, you'll realize God allowed all your dreams to come true AS HE was actually showing you what your dreams could even be.

You have no idea how your life will look in 10 years. That's what makes life fun. And what makes God so kind. He knows, and He's pumped about it. He wrote the story of your life ages ago and called it a masterpiece! He's going to give you your best life -- in Him, through Him and for His glory.

The weight of creating a wonderful life is not on your shoulders.

Shoot for obedience in absolutely everything. Use your gifts to the fullest and see them as your offering back to the God who gave them to you. Let all good things roll up into worship of Him -- the Giver of all good things, the Creator of your dream life and the Finisher of your faith.