Hello 30, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I always knew you were coming to find me and here we are. I won’t lie to you, 30. I’m a touch worn, tired, and weary. My 20’s were much kinder and harder than I could have predicted. Yet, the Rescuer, the Good Redeemer found me at every turn. He held me, spoke of his grace and freedom found hidden deep in mercy. Oh, 20’s we had a wild time. We started with a broken heart. A love lost. Yet, in our valley, where it felt like goodness was slipping away, we met the man of our dreams. We offered him the rest of our life. Until death do us part. We’ve celebrated seven years of marriage. A sweet seven years.

Image by Michael Porter Photography

Just months after our sacred union we sat in the orphanage where I was left. Screamed redemption for myself and the forgotten girls. The Rescuer met me there. He promised love in exchange for my unanswered questions. He offered me the better thing. The good thing.

Do you remember, 20’s, how hard we fought to become a mother to a son born to another woman? We fought the dark until the morning and brought our promise, our Jericho, home.

Image by Ivy and Tweed Photography

We grieved the loss of a second son. Never again to be held in my arms. Oh, how I miss him. Jesus, be with him all the days of his life.

Yet, in God’s sovereignty we’ve witnessed God restore what has been lost. We named him Kingston, a son of the Kingdom of God.

Image by Ivy and Tweed Photography

The call to shepherd sons changed everything. We stood for truth when fear, shame, and lies sought to destroy us. They thought they could crucify us. They thought they could shoot arrows of rejection to our heart only to realize that the Redeemer, with power and love, sits on the throne of our soul. We chose the way of bravery, trusting the Lord would lead us to victory.

Image by Pix-Elated Photography

We’ve had the privilege of serving women, young and old, near and far, with the good gospel. It’s been a joy to love and serve them, believing God heals any wound, any scar. We’ve held to our belief that no woman is beyond repair, beyond hope. You will be her Grace Giver. Her Compass. Her Savior.

Image by Ruthy Taylor

Thank you, 20’s. It was a pleasure. We met the most beautiful women to call friends, kindred spirits, mentors, and sisters. They are as bright as the stars and more treasured than diamonds.

We were hopeful every step of the way, 20’s. Hope, an anchor for our souls did not disappoint. Hope was found in the Godman. The Holy One. Our one True Love. I will think of you fondly, 20’s. I’ll tell stories of our adventures for the rest of my life. You were a great gift.

Dearest 30’s, what do you have for me? What do you have that’s different than the decade before? What mysteries do you hold? What love, grace, and wisdom will you offer through the hours, days, and years to come?

I welcome you 30’s. I welcome you to a body, heart, and mind that I’m comfortable with. One that is growing, seeking, and hungry for the plans of the Father. I welcome you to a soul that is starving shame and listening to the whispers of the Redeemer. I must say, I have a feeling that sweet, majestic treasures await us, 30. They’ll be masked in grief, loss, and the unforeseen moments life provides. They’ll be tucked in hard work, smart work, and times of rest. They’ll be hidden in adventures with my children, my sweet precious sons. They’ll be ample in my marriage, alongside a man I love and believe in. They’ll be with women, countless women I am called to lavish with the good ways of the Father.

I see you, 30. You met me with a hearty hello, full of excitement and joy. Belief that the best is truly yet to come.

May it be so.

For all of us rounding the bend to 30 or settled in our 30’s, may we trust deeply in Jesus, keep our chins up, and carry on. We are leading, nurturing, rescuing, and proclaiming freedom for the captives, truth for the broken, and hope for the desperate. We are doing a good work, a holy work, one that God will lead, redeem, and guide. However mundane or exotic your life may feel, it’s all yours. May you walk in the vibrant, full life the Dream Giver offers. 

Isaiah 51 is my anthem. I pray it lifts you up, dusts you off, and sets your feet on solid ground. With grit and virtue may you carry on, dear woman. Carry on.

3 The Lord will comfort Israel[a] again
    and have pity on her ruins.
Her desert will blossom like Eden,
    her barren wilderness like the garden of the Lord.
Joy and gladness will be found there.
    Songs of thanksgiving will fill the air.

4 “Listen to me, my people.
    Hear me, Israel,
for my law will be proclaimed,
    and my justice will become a light to the nations.
5 My mercy and justice are coming soon.
    My salvation is on the way.
    My strong arm will bring justice to the nations.
All distant lands will look to me
    and wait in hope for my powerful arm.
6 Look up to the skies above,
    and gaze down on the earth below.
For the skies will disappear like smoke,
    and the earth will wear out like a piece of clothing.
The people of the earth will die like flies,
    but my salvation lasts forever.
    My righteous rule will never end!