Growing up I always swore I would not be that person in relationships, let alone long-term relationships. But in high school, I was exactly that person. Even then, though, I was never going to get married young. I was the person who criticized those who aspired to do that because "they were limiting themselves and they didn’t even realize it."

The truth was, I just had never been around people who got married young. Those that I knew or knew of who did get married young fit into the stereotype: either married because of an unexpected baby or they were just young and naive. Most of those people were either divorced or incredibly unhappy in their marriages.

But then I came to college.

Although getting engaged, and especially married, in college is no longer incredibly common, I think most people would be surprised at how many people I know that are engaged before they graduate. At every major function I have been to for my college, I have witnessed at least one couple get engaged during it. I am a member of Young Life and have many friends who are in Cru, and there are multiple couples in each organization that are engaged. Even within the sorority I just joined, I know of at least one sister who is already engaged. The same goes for a couple in my business fraternity.

Now, I am not saying that these wonderful ladies and gentlemen set out to get married at a young age and began their tireless search for a lawfully wedded spouse once they set foot on campus, because honestly if that is what you want to happen it probably will not.

However, their hearts are obviously open to the ways God works in their lives. And I think that is what is important. Although I have this fairytale image in my head of being engaged before I graduate and spending the rest of my life with my love, that probably will not happen. But that is not to say that it will not happen for anyone else. Young love has been so degraded within the past 30 years that people no longer believe getting married while ‘young’ is even an option due to frequent and blatant criticisms.

SEE ALSO: From The Girl Ready To Settle Down At 20

One of the biggest arguments against marrying young is that one or both of you will not end up with your dream career and life and travels because you will be too focused on supporting the other, but that simply is not true. Just take a look on Instagram; the vast majority of those amazing families we all aspire to have were married young and now are living their dreams fully.

I am not advocating for actively husband/wife searching around every corner, but rather for keeping your heart open to the possibility that God’s plan for you might be a bit unconventional. The world is such a big place with more people than we can even comprehend, but maybe God’s plan for some of us involves meeting the love of our life young and getting married younger than usual. And just because you are young, does not mean you are less prepared to love someone fully and forever.