Turning points in life are different for everyone. Some find that major birthdays like 13 or 18 or 40 bring a huge amount of mental, physical, and emotional change.

My transitional year seems to hit me around the sevens. I have clear memories of turning seven years old. It felt amazing to become aware of the world and all its possibilities. I could ride a bike and read by myself. I had ideas about what I wanted to do when I grew up. I wanted to be a teacher, a missionary, a nurse, a musician, a writer, a mother. I could do anything when I was seven, be anybody, and mostly I wanted to be amazing.

This was a time of hope.

When I hit seventeen I experienced a significant sense of change. I could reach beyond the scope of the present, venture into driving and having a job, and school had a definite expiration date. All those childhood dreams had to find a new place in the realities of bank accounts and the skills and knowledge required as an adult. It was time to be serious and form my opinions about politics, and understand theology, history, technology, and money.

It was time to become responsible and make wise choices. So many decisions to make, and so many unknowns. What should I do with my life? What am I good at? What kind of things do I like to do? Would I fall in love and get married? Who would he be? What if I didn’t marry? How could I use my single years to glorify God? What proverbial ducks did I need to for all the possible outcomes of my life? Will I ever figure out how to tame my unruly hair?

This led to a decade of discovery.

This March I will turn twenty-seven, and I find myself making another mental shift. It’s as though I have crested a high hill. When I look back, I see the landscape of my journey. The steep valleys where so much pain and sorrow were; the sun dappled places of rest and delight. All the baggage I prepared and found I didn’t need and the useful tools I gained. There is the hopeful little girl skipping along the path with such a profound sense of purpose. There is the young woman, anxious to please and acutely afraid of failure. Now I turn. What will I see in front of me?

It is as obscure as this hill once was. Right now, I just have to walk forward, one step at a time.

Some of the questions of my youth have been answered. I married a man who daily embodies the love of Christ for His Church. I have been given three vivacious children to teach and love. My hairstyle will evolve with my hormones. As much as I can, I will be prepared for anything, but most likely my plans will change to something more amazing than I had conceived.

So here is what I want to carry into my next decade.

Knowledge is a good tool, but a terrible master.

God tells us to ask, so I will.

I am going to make mistakes, but I am not going to give up.

Children are good at joy.

I can hate something and still be grateful for it.

Compassion is the key to strong relationships.

Taking a deep breath helps calm me down.

The Spirit of the Lord is with me and will never leave.

“So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please Him.” {2 Corinthians 5:6-9 ESV}

It is time to continue my journey of faith by taking new risks.

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