I Don't Want to Get Married...

          ...yet.  Bet you thought this was going somewhere else, eh? To be clear, I don't rule marriage out completely. Let me take a step back. I am at the weird age where all of my friends are seriously thinking about marriage. I know what you're thinking, "Josie, you're only in your second year of college and your friends are already talking about marriage?!" Yes, they are.
          My friends are all older than I am and they're getting ready to graduate and move on with their lives. I also go to a Christian university where getting married young in the norm. This is all a recipe for endless Pinterest boards and wedding conversations. Don't get me wrong, I like looking at pretty wedding stuff as much as the next gal, it's just the whole marriage part that I don't like. 

          I'm in no rush whatsoever. There is virtually no part of my brain that thinks that being in a relationship right now is a good idea, so marriage is not even on my radar. Unfortunately, this does not keep me from feeling the pressure. My wonderful, amazing university is full of pressure and sometimes it makes me want to punch through a wall. Not because there are youngsters getting married, but because I'm the weird one for not even considering it. Here are some of the things I hear when I say that marriage is not on my table:

• "But when you do want to get married, it's going to be too late!"
• "If you keep saying you don't want a relationship, guys will start to be really turned off by you."
• "You're going to miss out on the most beautiful part of life!"
• "Women are at their best when they're married."

Here is my response to each of those:

• "There is not such thing as too late. Haven't you ever seen older people getting married? It's adorable."
• "If a guy is turned off by me saying that I'm not ready for marriage, that's not my problem and I don't really care."
• "I think their are plenty of beautiful parts of life in and out of marriage. Don't limit beauty to a single institution."
• "I am at my best when I want to be at my best and when I have worked hard enough to be at my best. A man does not make me whole or hold my worth, thank you very much."

          This is my advice, from me to you. Stop pressuring each other about marriage. You're going to get married when you get married and it does not matter if it is sooner or later. Praise the Lord for marriage, but praise the Lord for giving me the free will to wait. So no, I don't want to get married...yet. Next time you stumble upon someone who has different views on marriage than you, listen and try to understand. Some of us aren't ready to contract cooties just yet.