I Got Married. Now What?

For most of my adolescence and into my early twenties I knew I wanted to find someone I loved, get married, and share my life with that person for the rest of my life. So when my now-husband proposed, I didn't even think about it twice and said yes. I had finally found someone who loved me as much as I loved him and it was a stroll down the isle from there. It wasn't until I had a ring on my finger, and the person I loved by my side that reality came crashing down on me, "So what now?".

My whole life I had planned and looked forward to being married, and I was over the moon, and still am, about my husband, but sadly I had never planned out what I was going to do with my life after I got married. And for a while I felt an empty hole in my life with the question "what is my purpose in life?". It wasn't until time started passing by that I realized that I wasn't the only one in this predicament. Even some of my single friends had a similar question, "I'm in my twenties, and I don't have any prospects in my life, so now what?". We had all believed and had fallen into the lie that marriage was going to make our lives make sense, that it was going to give purpose to our lives. When in reality we all found ourselves in the dark hole of "now what?".

The truth is that we all have a deep desire to have our lives mean something. And an even harsher reality is that marriage isn't it. Marriage, as I have come to understand is a union of two people who choose to put their necessities aside to care for one another; selflessly. But it certainly does not magically solve all of our unresolved issues, or takes away our insecurities, or even gives us the key to the purpose of our lives.

But this is not a downer post. The truth is that after we realize that marriage doesn't give us the answer to the purpose to our lives, we can then move on and realize, now you have the freedom to find what it is that you WANT do with your life. And if you are married you also have your partner to go along this amazing and at times difficult journey to go with. And if you are not, you have an even greater freedom to choose to do whatever you want to do and find people who will propel you even further into your journey.

This, married or single, is the time to take action and start taking steps towards something you love. Find meaning to your life now. Stop waiting for the next season of your life to give meaning to your life, the time is now.

Marriage is an amazing fulfilling adventure, but it also comes with its hard times and challenges. I can guarantee you that the person who loves you will want nothing more but to see you happy, doing something you love. I have finally learned that marriage isn't the final destination, it's just the beginning of a new journey yet untold.