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May 5, 2026<\/span><\/p>\n Your Hardest Season Is Your Best Preparation<\/strong><\/span> Lee en espa\u00f1ol<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cUntil the time came to fulfill his dreams, the LORD tested Joseph\u2019s character.\u201d Psalm 105:19 (NLT)<\/em><\/p>\n There\u2019s a season in my life I wouldn\u2019t wish on anyone, yet I wouldn\u2019t trade it for anything.<\/p>\n My marriage had fallen apart. I was drowning in debt, desperately seeking work just to keep a roof over my family’s head. I was living a shattered life with a broken heart, drained in every way.<\/p>\n Honestly, I was angry with God. I\u2019d been faithful and tried to do everything right \u2014 yet everything felt wrong.<\/p>\n I cried out, Why me? Why the crumbled relationship? Why the struggle and pain? Why is everyone else moving forward while I\u2019m stuck in the hardest season of my life?<\/em><\/p>\n What I didn\u2019t know then was that God was preparing me. He was teaching me about brokenness so I could one day share about restoration. He was walking me through valleys I never wanted to enter so I could later guide other women through theirs. He was allowing circumstances I didn’t understand because He was preparing a ministry I hadn’t yet imagined.<\/p>\n Years later, I realized God had redemption for every painful moment. The marriage struggles became chapters in a book He led me to write on healing and forgiveness. The financial crisis became a testimony of God\u2019s provision. The seasons when I felt abandoned became the foundation for teaching others how to find God in the wilderness.<\/p>\n God wasn\u2019t punishing me during those hard years. He was preparing me.<\/p>\n So many people in Scripture also went through hardship that God redeemed: Noah, David, Saul, and even Jesus. Psalm 105:19 also says something striking about Joseph: \u201cUntil the time came to fulfill his dreams, the LORD tested Joseph\u2019s character.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Notice the order: Dreams came first, testing came second, and fulfillment came last. God gave Joseph a vision of good to come \u2014 then He allowed years of prison and pain before Joseph fully stepped into his purpose. And what an amazing purpose it was: Joseph ultimately saved his family and the nation of Egypt from famine.<\/p>\n If you’re in a hard season right now, I want to tell you what I wish someone had told me: God is not wasting this. Every struggle, every disappointment, every moment you feel like giving up, He is storing up for something greater than you can see right now.<\/p>\n Your story isn\u2019t finished yet. And the chapters you\u2019re living right now may minister to someone else down the road. Sometimes just knowing that helps us endure the hardest days.<\/p>\n So don\u2019t rush the preparation. Don\u2019t despise the process. Trust that God is doing something in the \u201cbefore\u201d that will make the \u201cafter\u201d more powerful than you can imagine.<\/p>\n Dear Lord, I\u2019m in a season I don\u2019t understand, and honestly I\u2019m tired. Help me trust that You haven\u2019t forgotten me \u2014 You\u2019re preparing me. Give me strength to keep going. Use this pain to shape me into who You’re calling me to be. I don’t have to understand it all right now. I just need to trust You and Your plans. In Jesus\u2019 Name, Amen.<\/em><\/p>\n When your thoughts are racing and nothing feels clear, you need something solid to hold on to. Because of you, she can find that in God\u2019s Word. We\u2019re working toward a $760,000 midyear goal<\/strong>, and a group of generous donors has already given $213,000<\/strong>. That means when you give today your gift goes twice as far. Give today and help ensure truth reaches her before fear shapes her next step.<\/strong><\/p>\n What if the hard season you\u2019re in right now isn\u2019t a detour but preparation for the book God\u2019s calling you to write? The pain you\u2019ve walked through. The lessons you\u2019ve learned the hard way. The moments you thought would break you, but they didn\u2019t. That\u2019s not just your story \u2014 that\u2019s someone else\u2019s breakthrough waiting to happen. Tracie created a free guide that gives you the framework for writing your story with purpose and impact: \u201cYour Story, Their Transformation: How to Write a Book That Actually Changes Lives.<\/strong>\u201d Download your free guide today by clicking here.<\/p>\n For more inspiration on getting through hard seasons of life, check out Tracie\u2019s encouraging books here, and follow her on Instagram.<\/p>\n Genesis 50:20, \u201cYou intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives\u201d (NIV).<\/p>\n Romans 8:28, \u201cAnd we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose\u201d (NIV).<\/p>\n What hard circumstance in your life right now might actually be God\u2019s preparation for something you can\u2019t see yet? When you look back at your most difficult seasons with the knowledge that God is preparing you for your calling, how does that change the way you view what you’re walking through today?<\/p>\n We\u2019d love to hear from you! Share your thoughts in the comments.<\/p>\n \u00a9 2026 by Tracie Miles. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n Proverbs 31 Ministries
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