If you’ve ever felt pressure to have your whole life figured out while following Jesus, you’re not alone. We all want clarity. We all want to know what God is doing. But sometimes, before Jesus reveals the what, He refines the who. My story is proof that the waiting, the disappointment, and even the detours are all part of His preparation.
When the Plan Falls Apart
I remember it like it was yesterday. On a sweltering summer afternoon, I sat with my classmates on the high school football field, hundreds of faces watching from the bleachers, as we prepared to receive our diplomas. The heat hung heavy in the air, but in that moment, nothing else mattered. When my name was called, I rose, walked across the stage, and shook the principal’s hand as he handed me my diploma. I made it!
In the days afterward, every well-meaning adult in my life asked the same question: “What do you want to do now that you’ve graduated?” I thought I had it all figured out. My plan was simple: go to college, become a physical therapist, and continue to chase my dreams in wrestling. At that time, I had only recently begun to take my relationship with Jesus seriously. But I was certain this was God’s plan for me. My intentions were pure. As someone living with cerebral palsy, I had spent countless hours in physical therapy myself. I wanted to turn that journey into a purpose—to help kids who were going through similar experiences.
That fall, I enrolled in the physical therapy program at Hocking College. I received better grades in college than I ever did in high school. It seemed this was God’s plan for me. But then came the third semester. No matter how many all-nighters I pulled, no matter how hard I prayed or how carefully I planned, I couldn’t keep my grades up. By semester’s end, I had failed out of the physical therapy program. I felt defeated and crushed. I got on the elevator to go downstairs, whispering, “God, what now? That was going to be my livelihood, and now it’s gone.” That’s one of those moments no one warns you about when following Jesus—the moments when faith collides with failure, and you realize He’s rewriting your story from the inside out.
In the quiet of that moment, the Holy Spirit spoke clearly to my heart: “I want you to preach the Gospel.”
The Season of Preparation
Shortly after, I shared with my mentor what I felt God was laying on my heart. I was scared to death, but I believed God was calling me to preach, to be an evangelist. My mentor affirmed the calling and encouraged me to transfer to a Bible college—to be better equipped for what was ahead. Little did I know how radically my life would change course.
Many of you reading this are not far removed from that same season of uncertainty. Some of you are right in the thick of it—wondering what God’s will is for your life, feeling the weight of expectations and outside pressure. To you, I say, “You don’t have to have it all figured out.”
When following Jesus, it’s tempting to imagine a straight line to our destiny, a smooth ascent toward our calling. But so often the road is winding—full of detours, steep climbs, and unexpected valleys. If we grow discouraged in those moments, we forget that God is shaping us through those obstacles, molding our character, and preparing us for the call He has placed on our lives.
The Slow Work of God
One of my favorite meals is slow-roasted beef, cooked in a crock pot all day—so tender it melts in your mouth. You couldn’t replicate that same depth of flavor by slapping the meat in a microwave for eight hours. It would come out dry, unevenly cooked, lacking fullness. In our culture, we live at a microwave pace. We want instant results, immediate clarity, and immediate success. But in our spiritual lives, we often short-circuit growth. We push for “calling” too quickly, skipping the simmering process. We try to fast-forward through the refining, but God often wants us in a crock pot—low heat, slow, steady transformation. That’s what following Jesus really looks like—not racing ahead but letting Him shape us slowly.
I wholeheartedly believe that many of the heroes in Scripture owe their anything-but-ordinary-impact to the seasons of preparation God gave them:
- Joseph—Sold into slavery, a servant in Potiphar’s house, was falsely accused, and imprisoned. He had over two decades of testing before he rose to be second in command in Egypt and saved nations from famine.
- Moses—Raised in Pharaoh’s court and fled to Midian, spending forty years in the wilderness, learning dependence on God before leading Israel out of Egypt.
- David—Anointed as king in his youth, but spent years under King Saul’s shadow, on the run, facing rejection and hardship: all to grow in character, leadership, and faith.
- Jesus—Grew in wisdom, stature, and favor (Luke 2:52). His public ministry didn’t begin until He was 30, and He was tested in the wilderness before being launched into His calling.
One of the most common myths about following Jesus is that life becomes easy once we accept Him. Most often, that is not the case. We can become discouraged when our faith is tested, when the journey is rougher than we anticipated. But James encourages us:
“Count it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work, that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing” (James 1:2–4, ESV).
You don’t have to have it all figured out. God is asking you to trust Him during your preparation seasons. He’s using those moments—those delays, those “failures,” those detours—to strengthen you, to shape you, to make you ready.
If Jesus—who truly did have it all figured out—had to go through preparation, how much more should we be prepared to endure the waiting?
I’m living this truth today. In the 2020s, I joke that I’ve lived four different lives:
- 2020—I interned at a growing church, honing leadership and ministry skills.
- 2021—I underwent life-changing surgery that unlocked new capacity to serve at a more demanding pace.
- 2022—I served on staff at a camp for adults with disabilities. This humbled me and encouraged me to get into the deepest mud-puddles of human need.
- 2023—I was introduced to Forge through a mentor and took part in the Forge Equipping program that summer. It completely rocked my world. I felt like I grew 10 years in three months. Old chains that had lingered for years were broken and my heart was reignited to passionately pursue Jesus in my everyday places and spaces. I came away from Equipping feeling like I had everything I needed for life and godliness.
Following Jesus in the Waiting
Maybe you’re in a season of waiting, wondering which way to go, feeling pressed to have your path figured out. Friend, you don’t have to have it all figured out. Use this time to let God mold you, refine you, and deepen you. Grow in character, in discipline, and in intimacy with Him. Rest in this truth: you don’t have to have it all figured out. He already has it figured out.
Psalm 32:8 says, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.” (ESV)
Let that be your comfort when clarity hasn’t come. Let that be your hope in the detours. Let that be your courage as you walk in faith, step by step, as the steps of the righteous are ordered by Him!
Download the Full Infographic!