Forever Begins Now: It’s Okay To Marry Young

I can’t put it any other way than this: marry young. Wear the ring, plan your future, live in the moment, don’t be afraid, and don’t wait. In a culture of waiting, we are taught that falling in love is the key to existence, but when you find The One, you need to put the wedding bells off until you are much older and have “gotten somewhere in life”. Having a family was once the American dream, but now society has told us that we are not reaching our fullest potential if we “settle down” too early. We are told we first must: go to college, get a job, live a life of freedom and success, then find your soul mate, tie the knot, and have a few kids before its too late. I was once told “when you get married, you die.” While that statement seemed funny coming from a 12 year old, that’s basically what the rest of our culture says to us. And if, for some strange reason, you want to get married before you are at the age everyone else agrees on, you must be stupid… or pregnant.

Breaking the news of your engagement brings dread. Dread of what your friends and family will think of you and how they will react. Then the opinions about your wedding, marriage, and life come pouring in like the floodgates have been opened. Conversations become interrogations. “Are you sure you are ready for this?” “Is he really The One you want to spend your whole life with?” and “Then what’s the rush?” At some point eloping sounds way less stressful than planning your dream wedding surrounded by concerned family and friends. But, you can’t elope, because honestly that would just make it worse. And then they all will be SURE you are pregnant.

Forget what everyone else thinks and say yes. Yes to the ring, yes to your husband-to-be, yes to your dream wedding, and yes to marriage early in life. Getting married young means less nights sleeping alone. It means travelling the world with your love. It means learning the responsibilities and roles of a wife, husband, homeowner, parent, and many more things early. It means giving it your best, falling at times, and having someone to pick you up and try again with you. It can be overwhelming at times, but every extra moment together is worth it. Waking up together in the morning, eating breakfast, chores, walking in the door exhausted and lighting up when you see each other, pets, kids, buying a home, weekends, sick days, and every little moment in between is so worth it. This stage in life may not be something everyone is ready for, and that’s okay. But if you are hesitating about your readiness to take on married roles, I promise that you will grow into it.

There is so much more to learn about your partner that you get being married. Some is bad, but a lot of it is good. There is definitely an importance to studying the Bible and learning what God has instructed the wife and the husband to do. Ephesians 5 outlines the wife’s role as submitting to her husband, and husbands are to love their wives. Determining what your household will look like, how it will run, and each individuals’s roles help make the transition smoother and faster. Having a steady income, budgeting, and learning to be patient will help make you marriage less stressful. (For more relationship tips you can read my article Til Death Do Us Part on the blog).

Don’t be afraid of what your great-aunt Phyllis thinks about being married young. Respectfully, it is your choice, not anyone else’s. Being pounded with stories of young failed marriages, statistics of young divorce rates, and personal stories make it hard to say no to their opinions. In the end, it’s about your happiness. No one is perfect, and at times marriage is a struggle. But any two people with a love for each other greater than themselves, and a commitment to never give up have the best of what marriage is truly about. Young marriage means you get to love longer and harder. Being married young isn’t the end, it’s just the beginning.

Photo Credit: LB Photography