Hello 30

Yesterday I officially entered my 3rd decade of life. And I reflected on the past 30 years, I found that I kept looking forward. I’ve had an amazing run so far but the future is what excites me. And I think it’s because I finally feel like life is clicking. 

Many years ago, I gave my life to Christ – for him to do with it whatever he saw fit. I’ve learned and relearned over the years how to say yes to God and no to myself. This is how I ended up on some crazy adventures and learned what passions God has put inside me to discover. All this has led to knowing and recognizing his will in my life. 

His will. It’s funny because I know what it is, but I don’t know what it looks like in the big picture. It’s like he’s given me a glimpse of it – just enough to give me a direction to head but not a destination. 

So the past couple of years, I’ve been intentional about living a life that aligns with that will in my day to day. And if it starts to move, I adjust. If things start to get in the way, I alter my course. This is why I moved to Atlanta with no job, money or connections, took a video production job, went on a short homeless spree, bought a house, quit a job with a mortgage and no savings and did a plethora of many other smaller things. 

And now here I am, living the dream as some people see it but I’m not. I’ve been following and hustling hard after God and while I’ve seen him and felt him working in all areas of my life, I’m just now seeing all the small decisions, the big leaps of faith, the mundane work that no one likes to do but still needs to be done – all of those things are starting to click and that is what other people are seeing – the fruit of many years of sacrificing, chasing and prioritizing God in my life.

The one who guards a fig tree will eat its fruit. Proverbs 27:18a

God recently showed me this verse and everything made sense. The past few years especially, I have been very intentional about guarding the fig tree (will of God) in my life. And because of that, I am now eating its fruit. Especially this year. But people still seem to focus more on the unmarried thing.

As an unmarried 30 year old, I get a lot of questions, concerns and statements about settling down. I’ve always struggled with that because it always seems like to do that, I have to give up something. I love everything in my life too much to give anything up. And that’s because I’ve been intentional about only keeping and pursuing those things in my life. Life is too short to fill it with and chase after things I don’t enjoy. 

So my heart was full yesterday when a friend was welcoming into the 30s club and said your twenties are for trying everything out but now you kind of know things. So your 30s are for settling in. 

Yes. Settling in. I still don’t know exactly where God is taking me. But I know where he has me and I know when he’s asking me to take a step. I know what my fig tree is and I know the importance of guarding it. I also know the importance of eating its fruit. It’s time to settle in to what I know.

So here’s to what I know.

To settling in not down. Settling in to the will of God – to what and where he has called me.

To looking forward not back. Looking forward expectantly for what God has yet to do.

To guarding that fig tree. Guarding it through yeses, through the mundane, through the daily grind that no one really enjoys, through hard work, through leaps of faith, through rest and seeking, through the hard decisions and the ones that come easy. Guarding that fig tree through whatever it takes.

To eating the fruit – no matter the harvest size. Eating the fruit and sharing it – because food is better enjoyed in good company. 

To 30 more years (at least) of God ordained adventures. 

Hello 30. I think I’m ready for you. I hope you are ready for me!