I Did NOT Sign Up For THIS…

You know the saying military spouses often get told anytime they complain about something that has happened as a result of being married to someone in the service… that one that is SO cringe-worthy it actually makes me want to slap the person who said it? Yep…

“Well you knew what you signed up for”.

Let the record state that no, Taylor Griffith, in fact did NOT know what she was signing up for. She didn’t even know it in the slightest!

I didn’t know that I signed up to have to elope instead of have a big wedding ceremony I’ve always wanted only to plan it for almost 2 years later so I could go with my boyfriend to his next duty station since they were sending him to Korea first, I didn’t know I’d have to adjust my entire timeline I envisioned for my life including when I could start a family, or when I could get married. I didn’t know I would not be shocked at all on the day my boyfriend proposed to me because I had already scheduled the elopement before we were engaged since we knew we were moving to Korea…

I didn’t know I would go without my belongings for months on end multiple times a year and never be able to really feel settled or at home anywhere

I didn’t know that I’d have to spend dozens of hours on the phone on hold trying to just get a simple health insurance question figured out, I didn’t know that I’d completely have to change my outlook on life in order to adapt to this new lifestyle. My list could go on and on and on of all the negative things I never knew about military life and didn’t fathom i’d have to deal with but did and still do…

BUT I ALSO DIDN’T KNOW…

How freaking STRONG I am. How RESILIENT I could become. I really underestimated how much I could handle in life.

I didn’t know how much I absolutely LOVE my husband and how far I would go to be with him… how strong my marriage could be because it would been tested so much.

I didn’t know I signed up to be completely changed from the inside out by God through becoming a military wife and how much my faith would grow because of how my reliance on God would be so strong. Want to be sanctified? Become a freaking milso! God will be right by your side.

I didn’t know that I would be pushed to my BREAKING point without even dealing with a deployment. I can’t even imagine how much the Lord is going to change me for the better when that day comes. (still not looking forward to it, but I know i’ll be better for it by the end of it)

To the military girlfriend or military spouse reading this right now that feels like they can’t do it or it’s too hard…

Don’t give up. You are going to get through this, you are not alone, and you have an opportunity to be BETTER because of this. You can grow your resilience, strength, and independence in the best ways. You may not have known what you were really in for with this life, but I know that for those who love God, He turns all things for our good.

Romans 8: 28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

I’m so glad I actually did not know what I was signing up for, because honestly if I did know I would be pushed this hard, I don’t think I would have said yes to this. I know i’ll continue to face challenges as a military spouse- ones I maybe should have “known” before I married my husband, and ones I definitely could never have known about, but I know with each challenge I WILL be okay, I am NOT alone, and I am stronger than I ever realized I could be.