"You are too young to be married"

"You haven't known each other very long"

"You were just in a relationship before you met him, like this one will last"

"This shouldn't be the example you should set for young adults, marriage is not the answer"

You are right, Marriage is not the answer. Marriage should not happen in order to take place of problems in the relationship. Marriage is not a solution, its a commitment. Above are statements that have been told straight to my face when I was first engaged. I met my future husband 4 months before he proposed to me. Did we get a lot of shit talk? HELL YES. From friends, family, and strangers that did not know us. I use to be one of them actually, until it happen to me.

I think waiting for marriage is awesome. I think saving up and waiting until each person in the relationship is financially stable is important and I respect that. However, there is another side to getting married that people seem not to respect. When I first met my future hubby, it was NOT love at first sight. Do not get me wrong, everything was so easy and I felt so comfortable around him, however I had my doubts. Sadly, I have been in many unstable and toxic relationships before him. I would cry out to the Lord and shout so madly as to why he did not bring me the man I wanted to love and cherish with all my heart. The love I want to show this man is the same love the Lord gives us freely.

I feel as though the timing was one of God's timing. All of these failed relationships and awful first dates was the Lord saying you are not ready yet child, or your eyes are not set upon me (the one who will love you more than any human on earth). I go to coffee shops weekly like they are my own home. When I went to one, I came across a friend I have not seen in months or maybe even a year. She gave me the best advice I could have ever received at that moment in my life. She told me to journal out to my husband like he already exist. She told me to pray to him, pray for his day, and start praying for our future marriage. I know... this sounds crazy, BUT it made my heart solely on God. I stopping looking for guys around me and focused on the father who made me and knew me best. Instead of wishing you had that relationship, you felt like you already did. You begin to spend more time with the Lord rather than time with guys who are not right for you. You begin to trust the Lord and are reminded to include him in every decision you make.

When I first did this, I did not meet my perfect man right away. In fact, even after the dates I went on, I journaled them and even stated "This is not you. This is not my husband". It kept my standards high and reminded myself how worthy I was and how loved I should be by a man. The bigger picture: I was reminded that even if I did find this relationship, I would still have a void that only Jesus could fill. God was waiting for me to have a better vision of myself, a better confidence and love for myself.. before he placed the right man in my life.

So the conclusion comes back to why you can never be too young to be married. I wanted to marry my future husband because after I met him, I did not want anyone else. I wanted him to be my last first kiss. He was made for me, and the love we had for each other was growing so fast and so rapidly, we were too excited to make that commitment towards one another. We have been together for a year now, and that eager love is still there, if not more. We want to make that commitment to each other and to God because of how great our love is for one another. We know without a doubt we were meant for each other and we will be with each other through whatever life has to offer. We wanted forever to start asap, whether we had the money or not. We were ready, committed, and so very deeply in love.

That being said, do not be discouraged when people begin to question why you are getting married. There is not a time limit of when you should know someone and you are not doing this marriage for others. You are doing it for each other. It doesn't matter if you were in a past relationship recently because GUESS WHAT you are a different person now than you were before. You have a different person loving you the way you deserve, making sure it is known to you that he only has eyes for you. We were built for relationships. Some people embrace being single, which they should because it is a gift! But for those of you like me, I knew I wanted to find my spouse that I could share my life with. One I could pour into and love unconditionally. Do not be discouraged, just know you are already loved, and He has the perfect person waiting for you around the corner.

You are never too young to be married. You will always be enough for someone, you just need a change in your perspective.