For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10, NIV
A friend once shared with me that each of us encounters at least one pivotal moment or season—a definitive point in life that reveals our character and shapes who we become. For every believer, accepting Christ is the first and ultimate defining moment. But even after that, we all walk through other seasons that test, refine, and form us.
Maybe it’s cultural, or maybe it’s simply the way I’m wired, but when I face what feels insurmountable, my instinct is to assume God is using the situation to build my character for something still ahead. Scripture certainly affirms that trials produce growth:
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4, NIV
But what if, at times, the opposite is also true? What if the past—all we’ve learned, endured, and been shaped by—has been God’s preparation for the challenge we’re facing right now?
As a teacher, my career goal was always to impact individual lives and society by being a godly, skilled educator who continually grew in my craft. But my primary longing was to be the best mother I could be. Our daughter, bright and strong-willed, certainly kept me on my toes. But our son was the true challenge: ADHD, a gifted mind, and ODD. A seasoned psychologist who specialized in these traits told me he was the most extreme case she had ever seen.
His childhood and adolescence became my defining season.
At the time, I believed God had given me our son to make me a better teacher and to equip me to encourage other parents facing similar struggles. And in many ways, He did. Raising our son made me more compassionate, less judgmental, and more skilled both as a teacher and a friend.
But looking back, I see something else: it was my teacher training, the difficult students I’d encountered, the research I’d done, and the perseverance that teaching requires that actually prepared me for him. My career didn’t just benefit from raising our son—my career had been God’s way of equipping me to raise him.
Our Father is wonderfully efficient. It isn’t an either/or. God prepares us through past seasons to face present ones, and He uses our present seasons to equip us for future ones. His handiwork is continuous, intentional, and deeply personal.
Wow. Aren’t we blessed?
Thank you, Father God, for preparing us for each trial that we face today and using them to prepare us for tomorrow.
Copyright Judith Landrum, Ph.D.
Judith served as a teacher and dean in both public schools and private, and Christian universities for over 40 years and has published numerous articles on literacy-related topics.
