As of last Thursday, I’m 24 years old–officially the start of the mid-20s in my mind. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been doing a lot of self-reflection on the first few years of my twenties, and what I hope to accomplish by the time I’m on the verge of turning 30.

College

*Shudders* It took five years of my life, and only two of those years really taught me anything about the career field I’m in, though four of those years were supposed to do that. And, I’ll admit, the realization of this has made me question whether I chose the right major. Which leads me to…

Full-Time Job

God blessed me with a job that I literally prayed I’d get, as it seemed like the best suited for me when I was applying to places. I’ll admit, I’ve had some draining days, mostly due to the type of work I do. I knew what I was getting into, since it’s my college major… but it’ll never be writing, you know? I thank God for giving me a good job right out of school, but sometimes I wonder if I took the safe route with my career choice. The dream of making a living writing books still looms over my head like a raincloud, making me depressed over it from time to time.

Acheiving Dreams

A major part of being in your twenties is focusing on either accomplishing or getting an early start on achieving your dreams. Many people consider this decade of life their prime, and though I know the future is always bright, I’ve held that mentality as well. There are so many dreams over the horizon that I just can’t get a taste of right now: becoming a bestselling author, moving out, getting married, having kids of my own, etc. Ever since graduation last May, I feel like I’ve been yearning for the next big change in my life, and yet I’m still waiting for God to say it’s time. This period of waiting can be frustrating at times when it seems that everyone I graduated high school with has already started conquering their adulthood goals. But, I’ve also been told that everyone who seems like they’ve got it all figured out is probably faking it. On a daily basis, I’m having to let go of my desires and give them over to God, and stay patient while I wait on His timing. And who knows, I may never see any of those dreams come true. His will must be done, not mine.

When I was a kid, I thought I’d graduate college and be married by 22, have my first kid at 24 and a second at 26. I was convinced I was gonna be some teen writing prodigy and become a famous author before that. In reality, I wasn’t dating anyone when I turned 22, but met my current boyfriend a couple weeks after that birthday. I didn’t graduate college at 22, but at 23 instead thanks to a year of those stupid transfer classes. But you know what? I truly believe I needed that extra year of college to find myself and grow more as a person. And truth be told, if I had married at 22, I would’ve been a nervous wreck. Two years have passed and I still get anxious just thinking about how fit I’ll be as a wife to my future husband if God has that in store. The same thing goes for the kid thing. If my previous plan had been set in stone, my first kid would be coming along shortly… and I’m in no way prepared for motherhood at the moment!

Your twenties are a crazy, unpredictable time where you’ll eventually come to question everything, only to see God jump in and guide you to something better. Though it hasn’t happened like I planned, I’m glad God’s plans for my twenties are unfolding before my eyes instead. Who knows, 24 may be my year for golden opportunities. Four has always been my favorite number anyway! I can’t wait to see what God has in store!

-Allyson 😀