“Do you have a boyfriend? “When are you getting married?” “You’re old. Who’s your husband?”
I am asked these questions almost weekly. I can’t be offended. Why? Because they are asked by the 5-year-old girl that I babysit. While she’s still young, she gets it.
Little girls watch Disney movies about Prince Charming and grow up dreaming about their future weddings. It’s just how it is.
But what happens when you’re finally at the age when it’s socially acceptable to marry?
The summer after my freshman year of college, one of my close friends from high school got engaged. I couldn’t be more excited for her but I also couldn’t imagine being remotely close to getting married.
Now, I’m in my senior year of college, and most of my friends are in serious relationships or engaged.
It doesn’t necessarily bother me. I don’t think I’m ready for marriage. I believe that the Lord’s timing is different for everyone.
But it is a little discouraging when everyone around you is getting engaged. I literally have no clue what I’m doing post-graduation. I don’t have a wedding to plan or a Pinterest board to fill. And I’m OK with that.
But why are my 21- and 22-year-old friends getting engaged? Doesn’t the saying go, “Getting married before 25 is like leaving a party before 10 p.m.?”
According to a Facebook Data Sciences study released Oct. 7, 2013, a study “showed a significant correlation between how religious the school is and the rate of married college-graduates. Religious colleges make up a significant portion of the top 25 ‘marrying’ colleges for both men and women.”
As Christians, we believe in God’s will for our lives.
I fully trust that when the time is right, God will reveal to me who I am supposed to spend my life with. That is why I don’t judge people who get married young, or old. We are all different.
What I do have a problem with is people saying they are going to college for their “MRS degree” or spend their entire college careers searching for a future spouse.
There are people like that out there.
I chose to not let it consume my actions and thoughts. Because in reality, getting married really young is not the norm.
According to a 2011 Pew Research survey, “The median age of first marriage was around 27 for women and 29 for men – years after college graduation.”
So don’t get discouraged.
There will be millions of engagement rings on Instagram. You will want to shut down your Facebook permanently from all the wedding photographs.
I’ve learned to be happy and content in my season of life – and I’m thrilled for my friends who are choosing to tie the knot early.
Sit back. Relax. And wait for God’s perfect plan to be fulfilled in your life.
Mckenzie is a senior public relations major.
