young we are

this picture has nothing to do with this post; I'm just happy the three of us are in the same country for a few weeks.


Have you ever been lectured?
I know we all have, but a few weeks ago I got a good taste of what I could expect from a lot of people but which has been gratefully restrained.
[You should expect things like this when you do anything atypical.]
We were at a church where my father was guest-preaching, and I'd arrived late because of a Requiem dress rehearsal (it was a lovely experience, by the way). A man whom my family knows and respects, but whom I myself had never met, interrupted my conversation with my sister with a blank stare.
When we noticed he was standing near us, we paused and looked over, and he asked if I was the one getting married. I answered and he exclaimed "Too young! Too young! Too young!"
followed by another disbelieving stare.

What I want to say is that in the course of the following ten minute lecture from someone I didn't know, many things ran through my mind. True, it wasn't his business, and true, it was a false cultural presumption, and true, I wasn't at all interested in chasing other ambitions - I need none higher.
But I couldn't argue, because he was as convinced as I was, and I didn't want to disrespect him. Thus I could do nothing more than smile and try to express my joy and conviction (while next to me, my dear sister broiled inside) and thank him for his concern. My business is to, hopefully, represent myself and Joel and God's word as best as possible, and leave it at that. I can't argue, even if I wanted to, and the desire was gone.

I can laugh about it because it didn't upset me and was so bizarre an event. I'm grateful that it hasn't occurred more frequently - we've been blessed with the rejoicing of our friends at church. I do wish, for his sake, that he knew that there are more far-reaching things than independence and individualism and 'experience' before you settle down.


When relating the story to friends later, one father said "Why is it that today people can stare and accuse and ask you to your face why your wife didn't have a career first, or why you would ever consider homeschooling, or why you were so irresponsible as to have that many kids, and it would be seen as completely appalling for us to ask 'How were you so selfish to wait so long to have children?' and the myriad of other questions that would be biblically grounded?"

It is frustrating to be minorities sometimes, but what I want far more is for people to see truth and to obey, and to experience the same blessings that they miss out on - not for them to be just like us.

love,
Cait

p.s. expect an indefinite but finite hiatus sometime soon, announced or unannounced. I need a blog-free timezone in order to be super productive! (not that I'm the world's most regular or engaging poster anyway)