Hi gals,

I recently found this awesome website off the link on the NGJ website, and have been greatly enjoying it! I’ve lost count of the times I’ve read Debi’s awesome Preparing book, and it’s really helped me see areas I needed to grow in.

Anyway, I have this question that’s been bugging me for a while that I’d love advice on! I’m eighteen years old. Right now I’m just at home with my family of eight on our small-scale farm, and I have a part-time job.

To make what could be a loooong question really short, I really would like to be married someday to a Godly man if the Lord would say yes, but, I don’t want to be one of those girls who lazes her times away waiting for the guy to come riding onto her empty horizon on his white horse and make her life start happening. I’d like to make the very most of my life right now, doing stuff and being dynamic and productive, without pursuing the feminist idea of selfishly pursuing the career thing. I’ve seen girls on both ends of the stick: the ones who rush to chase money and independence the second they turn eighteen, and the ones who sit home all day doing nothing but dreaming about what could happen, while their life is flying by; then wake up at twenty-eight or nine and realize their best years are gone and they’ve got nothing to show for them. Could you gals help me with a healthy, God-honoring balance between these two extremes, and maybe some ideas about good, productive, Christ-centered things to do while waiting for your love to show up?

P.S. I do realize that lots of prayer and your parents’ advice is probably the best answer! I’ve been seeking a lot of both, but a multitude of counselors never hurt anyone looking for wisdom, especially when the counselors are like-minded Christians! Anyway, anyone have ideas or tips or advice? I’d love to hear about them!