I was never embarrassed about my dreams until I arrived at my small, private university.

I embraced my dream and saw nothing wrong with pursuing it.

That dream, though, has been given a negative connotation by so many in our world today.

Suddenly, my dream to be a stay at home mom was seen as childish.

I needed real dreams, career goals, and independence.

I was limiting myself. I could do anything, why settle?

But here's the thing: I would not be settling.

Faithfully loving and serving my family would be a constant opportunity to live our call from the Lord to love and serve.

I vividly remember sitting in a suite last year and hearing about how the upperclassmen on my wing had these dreams and plans that did not include families until later on. They encouraged me and the other Duggar-like girls around me to get over the dream of weddings and babies and focus on work and achievement.

I couldn't help but think of God's original design for us laid out in Genesis 2:18-24

The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature,that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals.But for Adam no suitable helper was found.  So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.

The man said,

“This is now bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called ‘woman,’
for she was taken out of man.”

That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.

So, why is it bad that I want to get married and raise a family? Honestly, I don't think it is.

Adam was as close to a perfect man as possible, but God still saw the need for him to have a bride. It is in His divine design.

So, for those of you out there who want to focus on work and career, that is great. You do that. If you have dreamed of breaking the glass ceiling, do it. If you are faithfully following the Lord and furthering His Kingdom, more power to you.

But let me live my dream too. I am trying so desperately to follow the Lord's plan for my life. He continually gives me incredible peace in the decisions I am making and allowing me to take the next step and trust He has the rest under control. Maybe my dreams will change and a family will not be one of them, but right now, it is, and that is not a problem.