My boss called me into her office. I had been jockeying for an internal promotion that was a slightly more esteemed position in the organization than the one I currently held. The position came with more visibility among colleagues and clients and a bit of a pay raise.
I knew all of our systems and software. I had proven myself as a quick study and a humble professor of my faults and errors. The promotion was practically mine already.
As I slid into the seat and stared my supervisor in the eye the lingering doubt that I was about to receive bad news was incessantly nagging at the hope rising in my chest. Hands nervously twitching and heart pounding I anxiously anticipated the news.
“We have offered the position to another candidate and she has accepted,” the words cautiously slipped out of her mouth.
My heart sank. My stomach constricted and it took every ounce of will power and consciousness to hold back the floods pooling behind my eyes. She babbled on about my skill set and qualifications. She promised loads of professional development and a generous referral for any other promotion in the organization.
On the outside, my nodding head and stoic visage convinced my superior that I was taking the news well. On the inside, I was crying out Why God?!
After a grueling round of interviews. After nine months of dedicated employment at a less than glamorous job that I was overly qualified for. Why, why, why? What in the world could be the purpose of all this pain, rejection, and misery when I have been called to do such great things?
What is the Purpose of this season?
Every season in life serves a purpose. It either grows you, teaches you something, instills a new quality, trait or characteristic in you, or all the above. The season of my life mentioned above was fertile ground for life lessons and character refinement but man oh man was it difficult.
In those difficult seasons, it can be so easy to question God. So easy to ask why He created us, but what if there were better questions we could ask? Like what can I learn from this? What is being revealed in my character? How will this difficult thing benefit me later?
If you’re struggling to make sense of the purpose for your season, feeling let down, lost or confused, this post has a little something for you…
Did You Grow?
Did your season or circumstance test your endurance?
The days following the crushing news about the promotion were agonizing. It was hard to look my superior in the face or fully apply myself to the mounds of paperwork accumulating on my desk. Despite the difficulty, I endured.
I can’t say what your current season is testing, but I do know that you will grow from it. Whether the test increases your endurance, faith, resilience, dedication, or any other admirable virtue, you will be better for it.
The thing about growth is that it’s painful. You can probably look back on a time when you worked out and had trouble walking the next day because your muscles were so sore. Muscle growth hurts. Character growth? Excruciating. Trust that the painful stuff is a point of growth, not a punishment.
Did You Learn Something
Often times, our difficult seasons drive us into the arms of inquisition. Why me? What are you up to God? How on earth am I going to get through this?
While your answers may not be apparent now, sometimes a season in our life teaches us something about ourselves. Other times we learn something about God. And still, other times we learn both something about ourselves and the amazing God we serve.
Right now your season might be puzzling, but on the other side is a lesson you could not have learned any other way.
Was there a Character, Quality or Trait that Was Refined?
If your season isn’t testing you or teaching you something new, it could be refining a quality, trait, or a component of your character.
Roots of pride and self-importance were ripped to shreds during the season I was rejected from a promotion. I was humbled. My character was refined, and while I wasn’t grateful at the time, I will certainly move forward with much more humility and empathy.
Difficult seasons aren’t just uncomfortable because of growth. Difficult seasons can also be painful because they shave off the rough edges of poor character, qualities, and traits. You can think of this refining process as a file grating against calloused parts of your character, qualities, and traits.
The filing process isn’t pretty, but it is totally worth it. In your difficult seasons, could I implore you to consider which components of your character, quality or traits are being refined?
What now?
The purpose in difficult seasons might not always be clear. In the midst of your pain, could you venture to find purpose in a point of growth, a lesson, or an opportunity to be refined?
What are a few things you have grown from, learned, or seen refined in a difficult season?
Read on
Why Purpose & Calling Are NOT the Same
Live a Life Worthy of Your Calling
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