“The Best” of Your Life

2014 was a huge year for me. It was the year I got married, it was the year I became a mom, and it was the year I quit working to be a stay at home momma. 

In one year, it seemed as though all of my dreams for my life came true. 

At the end of 2014, in my obligatory Facebook “New Years Eve toast”, I wrote a little paragraph about how 2014 was likely to be the best year of my life. That year was such an impactful year that I believed nothing else could compare.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but how sad would that be if it really was true? 

Not because those moments weren’t amazing. My wedding day will always be one of the happiest days of my life. Becoming a mother for the first time will always be one of the greatest experiences of my life. And finally getting to be a stay at home mom was something I’ll never forget. But if 2014 was the best year of my life and I was only 25 at the time, what did that mean for the rest of my life? 

It gives off this illusion that 2014 was the climax and now everything else is downhill. It gives off this illusion that nothing else in life will ever match those feelings I had. It gives off the illusion that the best of my life is already over. 

It gives this illusion that I have nothing left to look forward to. 

Which is so incredibly incorrect that I’ve already been proven wrong. 

In 2016 I gave birth to my second baby boy and became a momma of two. That day will forever be one of the best days of my life. 

In 2017 I took my first missions trip which God used to help my husband and I see that we were being called to the mission field. That amazing moment of surrender changed the course of our lives forever. 

In 2018 my husband and I had a very tough conversation about our marriage that ended up breaking us both down, but ultimately brought our marriage out of this constant, daily struggle we had been in. That moment changed us and God used it to save our marriage. 

As time passes I’m continually reminded that the best is not only what's behind me. 

True, your wedding day and the day you become a mom are two of the biggest days in a woman’s life. But there is still so much left to experience in life. So much left to look forward to. 

Like that moment when your children accept Jesus as their person Lord and Savior. That moment when you compare your children’s “First day of Kindergarten” photo next to their “Last day of High School” photo. That moment when you are holding hands with the love of your life while watching your child marry the love of their life. That moment when you meet your first grandchild, and every grandchild after that. That moment when you celebrate 50 years of marriage, 50 years of struggles, 50 years of never giving up with the person you barely knew on your wedding day. 

There are likely some amazing days in your past. Some breathtaking days that you will never forget. Days that will be stitched onto your heart until your final breath. But there are still amazing things waiting in your future. Amazing days that you can’t even wrap your head around right now. Amazing moments just waiting for you to experience. 

So no. The best is not only the moments behind you. But it’s also the moments yet to come. The best is remembering the past. The best is unfolding now. The best is what we have waiting for us in the future. 

“The best” can’t be boiled down to a day or a year. It’s everything all jumbled together. It’s everything you can experience in one lifetime. 

The best isn’t really a short specific time frame or moment. 

It’s, simply put, your entire life as a whole.