We’ve put January behind us and February is here. I’ll turn 28 years old this month. It’s not a milestone, not a cause for a big celebration, but as my birthday  approaches, I’ve felt this instinct to slow down and reflect. Not necessarily on the last year of my life, but on the last several years.

The 20s are a wild ride. You start them in college, trying to decide what you want your major to be. You end them (in a perfect world) with clear goals and vision for your future. The in between is what is wild. You graduate college, start your first job, move, make new friends, attend a new church, start building a life that is yours — not one that your parents built or you were conditioned to in college. 

The path will look different for everyone, but we all experience a season of life with seemingly constant change. 

Dazed and confused

Among all the changes I experienced in my early to mid-twenties, I was disoriented. I convinced myself that I shouldn’t have been disoriented, but I was. At the end of it all, I had settled in my first job, bought a condo, joined a new church, joined a small group and made new friends. So why did I feel so lost?

Looking back now, a few years down the road from that point, I can see it. I had settled the big things in my life, but I hadn’t settled the small things. I didn’t know who I was supposed to be or what my purpose was. I hadn’t been intentional with new friendships. I hadn’t been serious about my walk with God. 

Now, as I reflect back, I’m grateful for where God has brought me. 

Studying Scripture and learning from other believers excites me. I love to learn more and more about our Creator and Savior. 

I’ve made best friends. Women who I can’t imagine life without. Women who encourage me, grow me and make me laugh until I cry.

I know who I am. I guess I always knew in my head who I was — a child of God, a witness to unbelievers — but feeling that in my heart was a different story. Now, I have confidence in who God created me to be. I have confidence in my purpose (the same purpose given to all believers): to love God and make Him known.

The future God has for me

The 26th and 27th years of my life have been revolutionary. I’m sure more changes will come as I reach 30 in a couple of years, but I’m more excited about it than anything else. Growing up has its benefits: more years learning about God, more years cultivating deep, godly friendships, more years finding your place in the world. I can’t wait to see how God works in my life in the years and decades to come.