Have You Ever?

Have you ever said yes to something…only to realize later it wasn’t meant for your life?

If you’ve done that more than once, welcome to my club. 😉

Recently, I stepped toward something I was convinced was right. It made sense. It felt familiar. The timing seemed to line up in a way that looked almost too perfect.

I even took a change in circumstances as a “sign.”

You know the kind.

The kind that makes you say, “Well that settles it.”

So I made a plan.

I started moving forward.

And then… everything got complicated.

What I thought would be smooth became heavy.

What I thought would be clear became foggy.

What I thought was confirmation began to feel like friction.

And after my very dignified (not dignified) moment of frustration,

I sat still long enough to see it:

God pulled me out. Again.

Not because it was bad.

Not because it was wrong for someone else.

But because it wasn’t right for me — right now.

And if I’m honest?

If I had layered it onto everything already on my plate this summer, I would have drowned.

So here I am.

Back in the in-between.

And here’s what I’ve learned about the in-between:

It’s never random.

1. God’s ways are not my ways.

Can I get an Amen?

Scripture says:

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.— Isaiah 55:8

I saw alignment.

God saw capacity.

I saw opportunity.

God saw cost.

2. Not every open door is an assignment.

Just because something becomes available doesn’t mean it’s yours to carry.

Opportunity and obedience are not the same thing.

And sometimes what looks like favor is actually a test of discernment.

3. Don’t run ahead.

Oh, I’m guilty here.

When something feels right, I want to move quickly and decisively.

But God often keeps the full picture hidden.

And while I don’t love that…it has saved me more times than I can count.

4. Stop holding on to what He is removing.

Sometimes we grip tightly because:

• It makes sense on paper.

• It feels familiar.

• We don’t want to look inconsistent.

• We already announced it.

But when God starts prying your fingers loose, it’s mercy — not punishment.

5. Some doors close because of what they would cost you.

Physically.

Emotionally.

Spiritually.

Relationally.

Peace matters.

Capacity matters.

Calling matters.

I recently read this:

Peace asked me to leave.

Fear begged me to stay.

Obedience whispered, now.

That one stopped me.

Because a couple months ago, the Lord spoke two simple words to my heart:

“It’s time.”

Not a full explanation.

Not a five-step plan.

Just — It’s time.

And maybe what it’s time for isn’t what I initially thought.

Obedience doesn’t always look polished.

Sometimes it looks like a woman who feels a little undone… choosing trust anyway.

So I’m choosing:

Not to run ahead.

Not to cling.

Not to force what isn’t flowing.

Not to mistake movement for momentum.

If you’ve ever:

• Mistaken availability for assignment

• Called something a “sign” that later turned out to be redirection

• Found yourself back in the in-between

• Heard “it’s time” without knowing what comes next

Then we probably need to be friends.

Because the in-between isn’t failure.

It’s formation.

It’s where faith grows muscle.

It’s where obedience becomes identity.

It’s where we return home to ourselves — and to the One who is actually writing the story.

And if He removed something from your life — even something that made sense — it might not be rejection.

It might be protection.