Tag Archives: Strength

When You Aren’t Where You Expected to Be, But You Are Exactly Where You Are Supposed to Be

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Life has a way of taking us places we never planned to go…places a lot of times we don’t want to go.

Most of us begin our journeys with a vision. We set goals. We create timelines. We map out the next five, ten, or twenty years. We work hard, sacrifice, pray, prepare, and believe that if we do all the right things, the outcome will match our expectations.

And then, outside of your control, life starts lifing.

The promotion doesn’t come.

The relationship ends.

The diagnosis arrives.

The business struggles.

The doors you expected to open remain firmly shut.

The opportunities you worked tirelessly for seem to pass you by.

Suddenly, you find yourself standing in a place you never imagined, wondering how you got here, and questioning whether you’ve somehow failed.

I have learned that one of the hardest realities of adulthood is realizing that doing everything “right” does not guarantee that life will go according to your plans.

There is an old saying: “If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans.”

While humorous, there is profound truth hidden within those words.

We often approach life believing that our plans are the blueprint. We assume our timelines are the standard by which success should be measured.

Yet God, in His infinite wisdom, sees what we cannot. He sees the detours, delays, disappointments, and divine appointments that are necessary for our growth and preparation.

Sometimes what feels like a setback is actually protection.

Sometimes what feels like rejection is redirection.

Sometimes what feels like failure is God rewriting the story in a way we could never have imagined.

The challenge is that we usually don’t recognize this while we are living through it.

When life is hard, it is easy to become discouraged. It is easy to compare ourselves to others who seem to be moving ahead. It is easy to wonder if God has forgotten us. We ask questions like:

“Why isn’t this working?”

“What am I doing wrong?”

“Why am I not where I thought I would be by now?”

Yet faith often requires us to trust God when the evidence around us suggests otherwise.

One of my favorite scriptures is Jeremiah 29:11:

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Notice something important about this verse. God says, “I know the plans.” Not us.

We know our desires.

We know our expectations.

We know our timelines.

But God knows the plans.

The people hearing this promise were not living their best lives. They were in exile. They were displaced, discouraged, and wondering when things would get better. Yet God was reminding them that their current circumstances were not the end of their story.

The same is true for us.

Just because your life doesn’t look the way you imagined doesn’t mean God isn’t working. Just because your prayers haven’t been answered the way you expected doesn’t mean God isn’t listening. Just because your timeline has been delayed doesn’t mean your purpose has been denied.

Sometimes the greatest act of faith is choosing to trust God when you cannot trace Him. I have found myself telling God, “Lord, I don’t know what you are doing, but I trust You”. That is a hard statement to live!

There have been seasons in my own life when I was convinced I knew exactly what should happen next. I had carefully laid out my plans and believed I had done everything necessary to achieve them. Yet life unfolded differently.

What I eventually discovered was that God was developing things in me that success alone could never teach: patience, resilience, humility, dependence, gratitude, and trust.

Had everything happened according to my plan, I might have achieved the goal, but I would have missed the growth.

And growth is often God’s greater priority.

The truth is, many of the blessings we celebrate today were born out of disappointments we never wanted. Many of the relationships we treasure emerged from heartbreaks we thought would destroy us. Many of the opportunities we embrace came only after doors closed that we desperately wanted to walk through.

Looking back, we can often see God’s fingerprints all over the journey.

But looking forward requires faith, and an open heart.

So if you find yourself in a season where life is not unfolding according to your expectations, take heart.

You may not be where you expected to be.

You may not have reached the destination you planned.

You may still be wrestling with unanswered questions.

But that does not mean you are lost.

It may simply mean that God is leading.

Trust Him.

Trust His timing.

Trust His process.

Trust His purpose.

Because sometimes the place that feels most unexpected is the very place where God is doing His deepest work. And while you may not be where you expected to be, you are exactly where you are supposed to be.

Keep walking.

Keep believing.

Keep trusting.

Keep dancing.

The Author of your story is still writing.

Your Best is Enough!

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As I write this blog, I am keenly aware that we are experiencing our one year anniversary of the global pandemic we know as COVID-19. It was one year ago that our world changed and we entered a shutdown of life as we knew it. We didn’t know much about this virus at that time, but what we thought we knew is that it wouldn’t last very long and that we would be back to our “normal” life in a few weeks…a month, tops!

Reflecting on the past year, I have seen so many people who have lost loved ones, who have struggled through their own illness or the illness of a family member, who have lost jobs, who have lost homes, and so much more. I see people who are doing their very best to make it using the tools they have and are pushing forward, creating a new “normal” for their lives. I see people doing their best to be strong!

In a recent Facebook post, I asked, “if you could describe this year in one word, what would it be”? My word was perspective, because during this pandemic my perspective changed about so many things. My perspective of what was a want vs. a need, my perspective that I was in control of so many areas of my life, my perspective of what and who was important, my perspective of what was actually giving me joy. The words that others contributed in response to that post included: adjustmental, endurance, perseverance, growth, resilience, humility, prayerful, focused, thankful, journey, faith, and difficult. As you think about this, what is your word, and how does it impact how you are moving forward in life?

Another thought for me that comes up is how so many of us have to continue to work, to push, to produce in the midst of being physically and emotionally exhausted. Across our country, people are being given the message that this is the time to make moves, to start businesses, to teach our children, to work from home etc., with no real days off. People are being held to the same pre-pandemic standards that they were one year ago. Mental exhaustion, depression, suicide, and drug & alcohol use have all risen, and we continue to receive the message that we must perform. Children who have not been in school for a year are forced to return to take a myriad of tests to measure their learning. Where do we find the space to say, “I’m not okay, I need _________”.

I saw the above quote in someone else’s post (I am not sure who the author is), but this spoke volumes when I read it. Our best is enough! That doesn’t mean our perfection is enough…it means our best. If the best you can do today is get up, get dressed, go to work, come home, clean the house, cook dinner, help your child(ren) with their schoolwork and spend quality time with your family, that is enough. If the best you can do today is get up, put on fresh pajamas, and breathe, that is enough (and some days that is exactly what I have done). No one can measure that for you.

As you move through the struggle of daily living, I encourage you to find your people…you know, the ones you can call when you need encouragement, the ones who have you and will lift you up when life gets hard. No one should have to be in this fight alone. We all need those people who can let us rest when we need to, but who also stand up with us, pushing or pulling as need be. We also need to recognize when it is time to get help and seek out a counselor if life is getting too hard. Going to counseling does not mean there is something wrong with you, it actually means you are strong enough to know you need to talk to someone. Seeking a counselor means you are aware that you need a little extra help and that you are strong enough to ask for it.

As we continue to maneuver our way through what we believe is the end of our COVID restrictions, how will you find a new “normal”. We will never go back to life as we knew it, and adjustments are necessary to press forward. Where will you make those adjustments? How will you define yourself? How will you ask for what you need? I want to encourage you to breathe, recognize your best is enough, and laugh, love and live each day to the best of your ability! You’ve got this!