There are seasons in our life where things seem to all be going wrong. Where our efforts seem to be in vain because our progress is so little. Where nothing seems to be changing. A season where the days seem so long. Are you there? Is this your current season?

There’s an important word I’ve used here, and it’s a little word with potentially massive impact. You likely missed it, as we do in life. We miss the little things which can make a big difference.

Things SEEM to be going wrong. Your efforts SEEM to be in vain. Nothing SEEMS to be changing. The days SEEM so long. It may seem a certain way, but it may not actually BE this way. It may feel like it and look like it, but what if there’s so much more going on in this season of your life that you cannot see. And what if it’s all for a great purpose. A purpose that will make all of this totally worth it.

12 years ago I journaled my questions. I was questioning if my work was really worth it. Questioning if I could really do all I was dreaming of doing. Questioning if I was on the right path. Here’s what I wrote:
What if I’m already doing this thing right, but I’m not sure right now?
What if the surprises along the way are really speeding things up, even though it feels like they’re slowing me down?
What if all I want is barreling towards me, even though I can’t see it right now?
And what if when it arrives it will exceed my every expectation?

And now, with the gift of perspective and 12 more years of living under my belt, I look back and say YES. I couldn’t have even imagined how all things were going to work out. I couldn’t have imagined the process and the path, but God has been faithful on the journey to today. I couldn’t see it, but it was there.

Honey, you can’t see it right now … but it’s there.

It may SEEM hopeless, but it’s not. You may feel like you’re being held up and delayed, but you may very well be on the fastest track to a beautiful future. It may not look like things are coming together for you, but it may very well be barreling right towards you and you just don’t know it yet. And the dreams you have today may seem big, but maybe, just maybe, your great big God has even bigger plans.

Don’t be discouraged by what you see right now. Don’t be overwhelmed by your feelings today. What it “seems” is only what you can see and imagine, but 1 Corinthians 2:9 reminds us “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” You haven’t seen it yet, but girl it’s coming! It’s not what it seems.

I wonder what 12 more years may look like. What growth you will have experienced. What breakthroughs you will have made. What level God will take you to. It’s there. In fact I bet it’s barreling towards you right now. Yes, right now when it seems like absolutely nothing is happening. Right now when it seems your efforts are in vain. Right now when every step forward seems to turn into two steps backs. Right now, while you’re totally unsure, something absolutely sure is coming.

Your destiny.

What is your destiny? Where is God taking you? Ahhhhh, it’s going to be good because God promised it will blow your mind. But the process … yeah, about that process. You’ve been warned that would sometimes suck.

How many of us know that’s the truth? I’m not so sure I would be willing to go through the process of the past 12 years again. Whew, those were some hard times. And my guess is, the process of the next 12 years won’t be a cake walk either. But God has given us the key in moving forward and not being overwhelmed in our circumstances so we can reach our destiny. Here it is. The key to moving forward without being overwhelmed.

2 Corinthians 4:18 “So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

You’ve got trouble … alright, stop staring at it.

Do what you can do, do it the best you can do, and girl keep moving. There’s so much more that you cannot see. There’s more to this and you can’t even imagine how all of this is fitting together in your destiny. Your mind cannot fathom how this process is preparing you, how this fire is refining you, how this situation is strengthening you … but it is.

What you’re going through today is NOT WHAT IT SEEMS. Don’t become fixated on your circumstances. They are temporary. God is using it all for something eternally good. Yes, the currently bad for the eternally good.

So, what I documented as my thoughts 12 years ago, I now see were absolutely accurate. I was doing it right, even though I wasn’t sure. What felt like a pull back was actually propelling me forward. I couldn’t see it then, but it was all there all the time, heading right towards me. And yes, in many ways, it’s exceeded my expectations. But in the process, I couldn’t see any of this. It just seemed to be unattainable, and honestly not even worth it.

My sister, if you’re in that season of life which I know so well, that season where things are just dang hard… That season of delay and defeat… That season of a little dream and a big disappointment… Let me speak life into you today.

What if you’re already doing this thing right, but you’re not sure right now?
What if the surprises along the way are really speeding things up, even though it feels like they’re slowing you down?
What if all you want is barreling towards you, even though you can’t see it right now?
And what if when it arrives it will exceed your every expectation?

We serve a good God who loves us personally and individually. You can be assured he is in the middle of your circumstances and while you may not see it right now, and it may seem all wrong, He is working on something eternally good.