Lee and just celebrated our 18th anniversary recently.
This is Lee and I shortly after getting engaged. I had just turned 18.
So I have now spent half of my life as a married woman. We were just talking tonight about getting married young. And earlier today I was talking to my 14 year old son about what it was like...so, a good topic to discuss tonight.
I often am asked, what would I do if one of my children came to me at 18 saying they knew they had found their spouse. Like my mom :), I probably would not like it. Well, I say that, Initially, I may not like it, but because of my experience, I would be open.
Before I ever met Lee, I felt God calling me into the ministry. Not knowing exactly what that meant. As a teenager, I was passionate about God and living right. I did not date. I said I would only date a guy who was passionate about God, not just went to church. And low and behold, our church started a masters commission where young people interned at the church. And Lee was one of that first group. Lee and I casually dated a few times, then broke up. When he came back a few months later, it was different. He said he knew that the next girl he dated would probably be his wife...scary thing to tell a 17 year old! But I really knew that God had put Lee in my life. He was like no one I had ever known. He had an annointing on his life. And of course, I had all those mushy feelings as well.
I think Lee and I were mature, when we married. I don't think this is true of everyone. We essentially grew up together. At 18, all the sudden, I was responsible for buying groceries, cooking meals (ha ha), and cleaning the apartment, all while helping my husband in ministry and working part-time and going to school full-time. There were days I cried, and thought why did I get married so young, and days I knew I had married the right person and was so lucky to be married to my best friend. I think the best thing for our marriage is that we were 3 hours from everyone we knew before marriage. There was no running home to mama or telling my friends all our problems. We were forced to work through them, maturely. We lived on an extremely tight budget. And thankfully ministered under a wonderful senior pastor, who fathered us during the time.
We did not have our first child until we were married almost 4 years. That was painful for me at the time. But looking back, it was the best thing in the world for our marriage. We were able to get to know each other, grow up a little bit, and truly be head over heels over having that first baby.
So now 18 years later, I would do it again. And have to be open that that could be God's plan for one of my children as well.
Marriage is serious. And we took it seriously...and still do.
I love you Sweetie:)
