09/02/2026
I thought my life was being disrupted.
Now I wonder if God was planting me.
Another post inspired by the annoited Natalie Breckenridge 💗 who posts very thoughtful and spiritually ✨️ transparent posts that offer deep wisdom that always get me in the deepest parts of me.
And so..this past year has not looked anything like I expected.
There have been things I thought would grow that didn’t.
Doors I thought would open that stayed closed.
Things I worked hard to build that suddenly didn’t seem to fit anymore.
Relationships changed.
My work changed.
My faith changed.
I changed.
And there were moments when I wondered...
God, what are You doing?
But lately, I keep coming back to Isaiah 61.
“They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.”
A planting of the Lord.
That hits differently now.
Because maybe some of what I called loss was actually pruning.
Maybe some of what I called waiting was actually rooting.
And maybe some of what felt like being held back was actually development.
Hebrews talks about this.
There comes a point when we are supposed to move beyond milk and become mature, learning through practice to discern what is good.
And this year has been built in the ditches and has brought GOLD
That kind of maturity doesn't happen overnight.
It is developed.
And I can see now that God hasn't simply been changing my circumstances.
He has been developing me.
Developing my discernment.
Developing my obedience.
Developing my capacity.
Developing my character.
Developing a faith that doesn't disappear when life doesn't make sense.
I spent so much of my life running.
Running from pain.
Running from my past.
Running toward things I thought would make me whole.
And then God stopped me.
He began teaching me how to stay.
How to trust.
How to surrender.
How to obey when I couldn't see the outcome.
How to let Him establish me instead of constantly trying to establish myself.
And perhaps that is what the hidden places are for.
Roots grow where nobody can see them.
Development happens long before anyone sees the fruit.
Hebrews 12 says that God's training may not feel pleasant while we're walking through it, but afterward it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace in those who have been trained by it.
Trained by it.
That phrase means something completely different to me now.
Because I don't just want God to get me OUT of difficult places.
I want Him to develop something IN me while I'm there.
So I'm not calling this “just a season” anymore.
I think I've been planted.
I think I've been trained.
I think I've been developed.
And I believe God has been growing roots strong enough to carry what comes next.
Maybe He is doing the same in you.
Maybe you're not behind.
Maybe you're being developed.
Maybe the hidden work is the most important work God is doing right now.
“The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.”
1 Thessalonians 5:24
I don't know exactly what the next chapter looks like.
But I know I'm not the same person who entered this one.
My roots are deeper.
My faith is stronger.
And I'm still growing. 🌳
So GRATEFUL 🙏