Being a teenage mother is difficult to say the least. At any age it’s challenging being a mother, but when you’re young, you are still growing and learning — and you may not have the financial means or family support to raise a child on your own.
Those are some of the many obstacles I faced as a teenage mother. Now that I am several years down the road, there are many things I know now that I wish I could have told myself when I was a teen mom.
The most important thing I’ve learned over the years is to stop worrying and trust God. Thankfully I found out about Hope House when my daughter was only four months old. We both lived in the Residential Program at Hope House, where I developed a more in-depth relationship with Christ. That is also when I learned who He is and how much I was loved.
God has always equipped me with everything I need to take care of my child. It’s about trusting Him and His plan for our lives. Of course, there has to be action taken on my part that helped me become successful today.
Looking back, worrying was my biggest regret. I was always stressed about everything when I should’ve been enjoying what was happening in that moment. Our children only stay little once, so be thankful for every day and its own blessings.
I have finally learned to cherish every moment, no matter what storm I may be facing. I think this is a great lesson for all of us as life gets busy and things go unexpectedly. Worrying doesn’t help the situation but only causes us more stress and can affect everyone in our home, including our children.
We often worry about many things, from small to big, like what will I make for dinner or how I’m going to afford to pay this month’s rent. Next time you feel defeated and worry starts to overcome you, stop and pray. Give all your worries to God and trust His plan and timing in your life.
“Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” Matthew 6:25-27 (NIV)
Update on Jacqueline: Today Jacqueline and her husband Moses own Royal Parties of Colorado, a children’s party company that Colorado Parent Magazine has named #1 in Birthday Parties for the last three years. Jacqueline also works as the Inside Sales Manager at Mile High Solution. She and Moses live in Denver with their two children, Genesis, 7, and Malachi, 3, in their very own home that they recently purchased.
