Thirteen Going On Thirty

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Remember this movie? Of course you do. Teenage girl growing up in the eighties who wants so badly to be a part of the popular crowd. Her best friend makes her a little house and sprinkles it with magic dust that will make her wish come true. Inspired by a magazine, she wishes to  be "thirty, flirty, and thriving." Her wish does comes true, and she wakes up seventeen years in the future to find out that she has become popular--and a pretty nasty person, too. She has a glamorous life, but in the process, she has also lost touch with her family and her best friend (who turns out to be quite possibly the best male love interest in a movie ever).

When I was thirteen, I certainly had different priorities than I do now and a different idea of what my life would turn out to be like (not that it's anywhere near complete!). The dreams and ideals of a thirteen-year-old girl are not wrong, they're just not fully developed. How can they be, when you have yet to discover who you are and who you can be? Since those early teenage days, I have learned so much more about who I am and what I can do--and who Christ is and what He can do in me.

• When I was thirteen, I thought I would change the world. ...In reality, I have learned that changing the world doesn't have to mean finding a cure for cancer but shaping the lives of those who are in yours.
• When I was thirteen, I thought that someone who devoted their lives to raising their children was throwing away years they would never get back. ...In reality, the years I spend on this earth are not about how I can build up my list of attributes and accomplishments but about how I can build into others. Life is not about living inward but living outward.
• When I was thirteen, I didn't understand marriage, but I knew I wanted to be loved. ...In reality, I didn't understand much about love, either. I wanted someone to accept me with all of my flaws and to fill in all the gaping holes left by my teenage insecurities (which, by the way, never completely go away--most of them just evolve into adult-sized insecurities that we learn to expertly cover up as we grow older). I wanted someone to want to be with me. What I didn't understand was that I could never have those gaping holes in my heart filled by a man. The only one who could fill me was Christ.
• When I was thirteen, what was on the outside was so important to me. I so wished we could afford the right house, the right clothes, the right haircut. ...In reality, it's still difficult at times to not let those things matter. But I have gained enough wisdom to know that even if I do have those things, they will not make me happy for long. And if I do find my joy in them, then my joy is misplaced and I am missing out on the true Joy-giver.
• When I was thirteen, I thought my life would be set by now. I would be well into my career and my path for life would be clearly set before me, waiting for me to just set a steady pace toward the finish line. ...In reality, I don't know if I could ever tell you where I would be five years from now. When I look back on all of the changes that can happen in five years, I cannot even begin to imagine what God will do in the next five. Goals are important, but hold onto them loosely, for God has something bigger than a five-year plan.
• When I was thirteen, I thought that I had to be somebody. I thought that I had to become someone important and accomplish great things. ...In reality, I have learned that a janitor can assume just as much greatness as the president of the United States, if not more so. Greatness comes from humbling yourself, giving your life for others, and doing all for the glory of God.
• When I was thirteen, I was so often beaten down by all of the glaring shortcomings I could see in my life. ...In reality, that hasn't changed all that much. Except, now I know this: "'My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

My life now is definitely not how I had pictured it at thirteen. But how could I have pictured all of this?! I am so thankful for all of the blessings in my life and that God intervened, years ago, and I gave my life over to Him. So, here's to the next thirty years!