Resilient Faith: Embracing God’s Purposes

I had a pastor friend once who had a sign on his desk that read, "God loves you, and has a difficult plan for your life." 

That sign always drew a wry smile from me, but I was also troubled by the language of it.  I  grew up in a Christian culture that used the term "God's plans" pretty freely, and often in very unhelpful ways.  

People in that world I lived in frequently stated that all they wanted was to discover God's plan for their life, or to do God's will, which was nearly the same thing.  Interestingly, God's plans more often resembled their own, and when things didn't go as they planned, it created some challenging theological issues for them.  

Truth be told, I held onto those same notions for many of my early years in ministry.  However, things shifted for me after a serious crisis of faith in 2011, when I began to see a difference between what I thought were God's plans (which were really my own) and God's ultimate purposes. 

The resulting shift in my thinking became an exercise in resilience, which I needed to experience and internalize.  Instead of focusing on the concept of plans, I learned that believing there was a greater purpose at work in my life enabled me to become more resilient and to keep forging ahead even when the plans shifted, changed, or fell apart.  

You see, resilience is not simply the ability to endure hardships—it is the courage to keep moving forward when life takes unexpected turns. 

So often, when challenges arise, we find ourselves clinging to the plans we’ve carefully constructed, believing that if we follow them perfectly, life will unfold the way we think it should. 

But what happens when our plans fall apart? In those moments, God invites us to shift our thinking from “plans” to “purposes.”  

Plans are rigid and linear; they assume a predictable future. Purposes, however, are dynamic, fluid, and shaped by God’s transformative love. God’s purposes are not thwarted by detours, failures, or setbacks. In fact, they are often revealed most clearly when our own plans collapse, leaving space for something far greater to emerge.

Joseph Campbell once wrote, “We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.” 

This is not a call to abandon our dreams, but rather a reminder that God’s purposes are always bigger and richer than anything we can script for ourselves. When we release our tight grip on “the way things should be,” we create room for the Spirit to work in ways that surprise and renew us.

The Apostle Paul reminds us in Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” 

Notice Paul’s emphasis on God’s “purpose” rather than a strict plan. God’s purposes weave through every circumstance—even the painful and confusing ones—to bring about redemption and hope.

Resilience, then, is not just the act of enduring difficulty, but of trusting that God’s purposes are unfolding even when life looks nothing like we imagined. It is the faith to believe that what feels like an ending might be the beginning of a new chapter, a better chapter—one aligned with God’s heart for us.

If your plans have crumbled or your path seems unclear, take heart. Let go of the life you thought you needed and open your hands to the life that is waiting for you. Trust God’s purposes, for they are never derailed by obstacles but strengthened through them.

Prayer:
Lord, help me release my need for control and my attachment to the plans I’ve made. Teach me to trust in Your purposes, which are always good and life-giving, even when I cannot see the way ahead. Give me the resilience to face each challenge with faith, knowing that You are guiding me into the life You have prepared. Amen.