-10 years ago, I was a skinny college kid who was in love with an amazing girl. Ten years later, I'm still skinny and still in love with the same amazing girl.
Speaking of this amazing girl, Angie and I had been dating for over a year and knew that we would get married. This is the one thing that has turned out EXACTLY like I thought it would. I knew she was special and figured it would be an incredible ride with her by my side. Bingo!
-10 years ago, I had aspirations of being a rock star and making music. Now that thought makes me laugh out loud. I even thought our band name Image was cool. Ouch.
My best friend, Steve, and I had plans to move to Nashville and "make it big". We were getting ready to cut a demo for Word Records with some pretty big names in the industry and figured stardom was right around the corner. In fact, we would move to Nashville in August of 2000. I left my family, my girl, and my college to fulfill the dreams I was certain God had given me. Turns out God had some different dreams to fulfill in me. I know it's hard to believe, but I never became a rock star. I can't imagine why not.
-10 years ago, I stood in my parent's kitchen and told them I needed to move to Nashville. My dad got upset, said I only had 1 year left of school and that it was a stupid decision, and then stormed out. But I was certain that I needed to do this. One thing I loved about my parents is that they gave their opinion and tried to help us make good decisions, but they never forced their opinions on us. As adults, they gave us the freedom to make our decisions. Even if they didn't agree with it (and they didn't agree with this one), they trusted us to prayerfully make our decision after sharing their thoughts. And I would make the same decision all over again.
-10 years ago, I hated my curly hair and kept it "high and tight". People look at pictures of me back then and wonder who it is. Even Carson looks at old wedding videos and refuses to believe it's me marrying mommy. Angie eventually convinced me to fro' it out and let the curls do their thang!
-10 years ago, I chose "Youth Ministry" as my major in college. Not because I saw myself as a youth pastor. In fact, I was sure that I would never be a youth pastor. I just wanted to make an impact on the next generation and thought that major, combined with music, would help make that happen. 10 years later, I am doing what I was sure I wouldn't do. And I'm loving it.
-10 years ago, I drove around a grey/black 1988 Ford Bronco II with some pretty sweet red interior. It was a stick-shift and I almost didn't get it out of the parking lot the first time I was learning to drive it. It was the nicest car I had up to that point, which is saying a lot. The cars I've owned haven't improved much since then. I'm still waiting on the mailman to deliver the black 'Vette. It should be here any day now.
-10 years ago, I had an older sister living in Florida and three younger siblings in high school or middle school. We were all young, immature, and pretty naive about life. Since then, we've shared some incredible memories together, hurt together, laughed a lot (mainly at our dad's expense), and celebrated each other's accomplishments. I couldn't be more proud of the man and women they've become!
-10 years ago, I couldn't imagine having kids, changing diapers, putting toddlers to bed, or being a dad to three of the most beautiful people in existence! Now, I can't imagine life without them! Life must have been so incredibly boring before they came along. In the last 10 years, I have witnessed three miracles being born and been given the responsibility of raising them and introducing them to our incredible God! I definitely would've run from that responsibility a decade ago.
As I look back over the last decade, almost nothing turned out the way I thought it would. And that's what I love the most! I think part of the beauty of pursuing God and being used by Him is that it rarely looks like you think it will! He breathes life into you, fills you with dreams and purposes, and then leads you on an adventure that you can never experience without Him. And while I knew that God would use my life to bring Him glory, there were twists, turns, bumps, and obstacles that I never envisioned. Had I seen those ahead of time, I probably would've refused to go along.
All of those uncertain moments, those times where I thought, "Ok, God, I didn't think this would happen!", the bumps and obstacles have helped shape who I am. They have tested and increased my faith. They have showed me that I really don't know what's best for my life. And they were all part of God's plan.
What did the last 10 years look like for you? Did it look like you thought it would? Probably not, but I bet you saw the fingerprints of God all over it. I know I did!
