The Unwanted & Unexpected

No one signs up for a season of disappointment.

None of us dream about detours, delays, or doors that don’t open. We imagine the breakthrough, the answered prayer, the fulfillment of our hopes — not the waiting, not the disruption, and definitely not the seasons that leave us wondering what just happened.

But if we’re honest, most of us don’t get through life without walking through moments we never would’ve chosen.

Maybe for you, it was a relationship ending. Maybe it was a career shift, a health diagnosis, a financial hit, or a door you were sure God was going to open... that stayed shut. Maybe you’re just looking around at your life thinking, “This is not what I thought it would be.”

I've been there too. More than once. And I’ve learned: it’s in these unwanted and unexpected places that we often come face to face with God in the most profound ways.

When the Plan Falls Apart

It’s easy to trust God when the path is smooth.
But what about when it isn’t?

When your prayers feel unanswered and your timeline seems off track, you can start to wonder if you missed something along the way. But the truth is, the presence of confusion or lack of clarity doesn’t mean the absence of God.

In fact, it’s often when we’re pursuing clarity, God wants our FAITH & desires for us to lean into Him more deeply.

I’ve cried out with frustration. I’ve asked questions that didn’t get immediate answers. And I’ve felt the silence stretch longer than I wanted.

And yet, somehow— through the uncertainty— God shows up. Not always with snappy solution I’d like, but with reassurance. Not always with clear cut answers, but with his presence.

The Unexpected as Holy Ground

What if these unwanted seasons are not detours but altars?

I love how Elizabeth Elliot wrote it:

”Waiting on God requires the willingness to bear uncertainty, to carry within oneself the unanswered question, lifting the heart to God about it whenever it intrudes upon one’s thoughts.”

We cannot will our way out of wilderness seasons. However what we can do is bring fresh surrender to the altar and wait on the Lord.

What if seasons of waiting aren’t delays but invitations—to trust deeper, to see differently, and to let go of outcomes so we can hold on to God? At the end of the day, outcomes aren’t ours to own— but obedience is.

I’m learning that our faith doesn’t grow when everything works out. It grows when we keep walking even when it doesn’t.

And I want to remind you— if you’re in a season that doesn’t make sense:

You are not forgotten.
You are not disqualified.
And this part of your story is still being written. “If it’s not good— he’s still writing the story.”

Even in the unknown, God is near. Even in the disappointment, He is working. And even in the waiting, you are being shaped & sanctified into His likeness.

For the One in the Middle

To the person unsure of what comes next...
To the one facing an unexpected turn…
To the woman wondering if she missed her moment…

This isn’t the end. It’s just the middle.

And in the middle, you don’t have to have it all figured out. You just need to stay close to the One who does. The One who isn’t worried about a thing, and is actually completely relaxed.

Even the unwanted, unexpected can lead to something beautiful.