Sixteen and pregnant. No. Seventeen and pregnant. Yes, that was me. Graduating high school with a bun in the oven or like most say "babies having babies." As soon as that cat was out of the bag, so were all the untamed tongues. Of course, being a pregnant teen wasn't right but people are so quick to make rash judgements. They will write you off before the mustard seed has time to turn into a fetus. I knew I was wrong, but just because I sinned differently than the next person didn't make me any less worthy. People will surely make you feel that way, though. They told me all would nots, could nots, and will nots that I would be accomplishing now, because clearly my life was over. To them, it was a closed book. To me, that meant I was starting a new chapter. All these people had given up on me, which made me ask, "Had God given up on me too?"
People are under the impression that just because you're young and pregnant or a parent means that you are the worst of the worst and you are going to screw your kids up. I image that is why tv shows like teen mom, and 16 and pregnant have surfaced. I assume that they are to show the difficulities and dumb decisions of young mothers, even though I have never seen either. I've only heard about them.
Of course, we'll make mistakes. What parent doesn't? Oh course we'll have troubles. The Bible says we all will. Being pregnant early just means you are going to have a few more and you need to decide how you are going to respond to them. You've done the action, now what's your reaction.
But does that mean that our children will have absolutely no chance at success? No. Like most moms, I will do my best to teach them everything they need to know. I will do my best to instill a love for God, a kindness and respect for others, and teach them how to be responsible adults. Besides, I don't want them living with us until they're 30. But until then, if they stumble and fall, I'm sure they'll pick themselves up, with their mother's help of course.
Being pregnant at 17 wasn't the smartest decision but what's even worse was all the untamed tongues that could have likely sent me spiralling out of control, if I had chosen to listen to them. I had to be careful who was yelling in my ears becuase it all wasn't for my good. You can teach someone a lesson without tearing them down and breaking thier spirits. Then, you are simply speaking out of the flesh rather than actual love or concern.
I went on and graduated high school an honor grad, I went on to college and got a degree, taught for 2 years and then ended up staying home with baby number three. I'm headed toward the so called "American Dream" right. I done good. Does that make me any more qualified to be a mom? No, because being a mom is hard. There is no instruction manual. All you hope is that God gives you the wisdom and understanding you need and guides you on the right paths. We all mess up but God has a way of turning things around. He will shift things in our favor even when we don't deserve them. I'm so glad He didn't give up on me and that He's not done with us yet. We are indeed blessed and highly favored.
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