There are seasons in life when we look around and wonder, “God, what are You doing?”

Seasons where relationships change, dreams don’t look the way we imagined, and the person we thought we would become feels so far away. Seasons where we feel like pieces of our life are falling apart one by one.

But what if the breaking isn’t the end of the story?

What if God is using the very things we thought would destroy us to create something new within us?

A few years ago, while I was sitting in graduate school, I had a picture in my mind of what my life would look like. I imagined myself working, building my career, and following the plans I had made for myself. I never imagined that a few years later I would currently be a stay-at-home mom, carrying my daughter into the library, watching her look around with curiosity, smile at strangers, and take in the world around her. I don’t feel anything like the same person I was three years ago, and yet now I am a mom, living a life I never could have planned for myself.

But standing there with my daughter in my arms, watching her smile and people-watch, I realized something: God’s plans were never limited to the ones I had created.

The life He gave me looked different than the life I expected, but it was filled with blessings I never knew I needed.

Looking back, I can see that some of my hardest moments were also some of the moments God was closest. When I felt uncertain, He was teaching me trust. When I felt unseen, He was reminding me that I was fully known by Him. When I felt like I was losing pieces of myself, He was gently showing me who I was always created to be.

God wasn’t wasting my pain. He was using it.

The Bible tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

I used to think being joyful meant everything had to be going right. But God has shown me that true joy is not found in perfect circumstances. Joy is found in knowing that even when life looks different than we planned, God is still good, still faithful, and still working.

Just like a seed has to be buried before it can grow, sometimes God allows us to walk through seasons where we feel hidden, uncomfortable, and uncertain. But hidden does not mean forgotten. Waiting does not mean abandoned. And broken does not mean beyond repair.

The woman I am today is not the woman I was before the storms. I have more compassion, more understanding, and a deeper dependence on God than I ever had before.

I used to ask God to change my circumstances. Now I find myself thanking Him for how He changed me through them.

Because sometimes God doesn’t remove the fire immediately. Sometimes He meets us in the fire and uses it to refine us.

If you are walking through a season where you feel like you are falling apart, remember this: God is not finished with you. He is still writing your story. He is still creating something beautiful.

The same God who carried you through yesterday is already holding your tomorrow. 💛