Why in the world do people say the 20s are the best time of your life??

I have been doing a lot of thinking lately. I just turned 23 last week and I feel like I hear people say all the time "oh to be in my 20s again" or "ah being in your 20s is the best time of your life" and I just sit there and think WHAT THE HECK DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?? Because right now from my perspective my 20s have been full of a lot of struggle, hardwork, and pleading with the Lord for help.

My first reaction yes, was WHAT THE HECK, but as I continue to go through struggles and experiences, I am coming to understand for me why this is truly a great time for many reasons. Let me explain.

I have been home from my mission for a year and a half now! Wowie wow wow I can't believe I have been home for as long as I was gone. My mission has been the best part of my life so far. I absolutely loved it. For me it was a time so completely full. Full of light, progression, hardwork, learning, and the love of Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father. I was learning and growing every day. Coming home was so so hard. I still remember so clearly the day I took off that name tag, I physically almost couldn't bring myself to take it off and emotionally I was a mess. It had become a part of me, but I knew that I had done what the Lord needed me to do and it was time for a new part of my life to start.

Working and going to school were the obvious next step. Through study and prayer I kept to my previous decision of study nursing. It came to me so clearly that becoming a nurse was the perfect way for me to continue to serve God's children and to remain close to him through that service. For me deciding what I wanted to become wasn't the hard part, it was how and where do I go to achieve this goal. It took months for me to decide where I wanted to go. I researched school after school and I stressed myself out because all of them seemed great but at the same time none of them seemed right. I started many applications but never actually applied haha. At times I felt lost, we always have times and moments where we don't know where to go or what to do... BUT Heavenly Father is ALWAYS there to guide and support us.

One of my #1 reasons that "the 20s are the greatest" is just that... that Heavenly Father is always there for us though everything. I can't even count how many times I have felt lost and stressed out and confused by all of these big and life altering decisions that come with being a young adult. But I have learned and I am still learning every single day that there are many ways that we can react to making choices. We can remain scared and confused or we can trust that God has greater plans than we have for ourselves. This is something I have always known, but seem to continuously forget. I wish I could tell you that my reactions to making hard decisions and stress have been simple and with Heavenly Father on my mind, but that hasn't always been the case. I have had one too many days and nights overwhelmed to the point of complete sorrow, not relying on the one person who knows perfectly what its like to go through hard things. Our 20s are great because we can learn to make GOD a priority. I wish it was something that was easy to do!! It seems so simple. But thats what makes us stronger and thats what makes this time so great. Every choice that we make WITH Heavenly Father, is a choice leading us to good and to light. HE WILL NEVER LEAD US ASTRAY. I am not saying that we will always get an answer right away, or that He will tell us exactly when, and where and what we need to do (wouldn't that be nice?), but consulting with Him, and seeking Him shows Him where our hearts are.

Another reason why I am learning this time to be a great time is that it is a time of PREPARATION. It has been so great and also kind of hard for me to see all of my friends getting married and starting families. There is nothing I want more in life than to have a family. It has always been a goal of mine, to get married in the temple and to have a bunch of kids and to raise them in the gospel. Even as I type this right now I just get so excited thinking about having a family of my own. But here I am a young single adult. Sometimes its so hard not being in that phase of life that I so earnestly desire to be in that it makes me feel pretty depressed. You're probably thinking "you're young, you've got all the time in the world to get married" which I hear so often, but its not that simple. When you have set these goals and standards your whole life that revolve around having and starting a family, being "stuck" in the YSA world is pretty discouraging. People always say "you're so awesome you deserve to be with someone amazing" or "you're just waiting for someone special enough for you to come around" and while those seem like nice things to say, they are crippling in a way; that others are setting standards for you about who you should be with or end up with, that you'll never really find someone who can be your perfect compliment. I am not by any means saying that I think I am the coolest person ever and there is no one good enough for me hahaha just for clarification. But it is frustrating when you know where you want to be but you just can't seem to get there. I don't sit around all day and wallow in the fact that I am not married haha although it does cross my mind. BUT from this I am learning that the greatest part of this time of life is that it is a PERFECT time to prepare for those things to come. Every time I choose to read the book of mormon instead of browse social media or each night when I read the scriptures, I am preparing for a time that I will be able to teach my children of my love of good books that bless my life. I am gaining a greater understanding of the words of Christ that I will be able to share with others. My testimony is strengthened of the Lord's timing. Which is a VERY important aspect of waiting for the good things to come. Maintaining a daily habit of praying and turning to Christ is helping me to prepare for trials that await me, that I will be sure of where to turn in those times. There are simple things that we can do every day to prepare to become better husbands/wives, fathers/mothers, brothers/sisters, and friends, even if those roles aren't relevant to who we are right now.

This is a time to learn and grow just like I did so regularly on my mission. It may not be learning the same kinds of things I learned as a missionary but it doesn't mean that they are any less important. There are many more reasons why "the 20s are great" and I am still figuring them out as I go, but a few things I am sure of are that GOD IS GOOD, HE IS LOVE, AND HE IS LIGHT. This is a time for us to figure out who we want to become and how we are going to get there, and it doesn't have to be a painful experience. It can be enlightening as we turn to Him.