Not Part of the Plan? Finding God’s Hope in Life’s Hardest Seasons

2026…

Spoiler alert, this post may be raw and may be triggering for some. But it is real, and it’s me here and now.

Being a Christian is not always pretty. Yes, God is ALWAYS good. He is ALWAYS faithful. But life is not always kind.

Just like everyone, Christians go through hardship. As a matter of fact, the Bible specifically states in multiple places that, like Christ, we will encounter hardships and experience things that test our values, our faith, and our trust. We will go through things that shake our core all the way down to its very foundation.

In this lifetime, many of us will experience things that have the ability to make or break our faith and trust in God. It could be by our own making or outside circumstances. The Bible warns us of the struggles to come.

This year… wow… this year started off like any other year. Full of hope and excitement. Challenges and the potential for new levels in all the areas of our lives—relationally, vocationally, spiritually. Not to brag, but if I was looking from the outside in, I would think, yeah, they’re doing it right. Maybe not perfect, could definitely use improvement, but they’re good.

And we were… until we weren’t.

January 20, 2026, our family’s lives were rocked in the most desperate way.

When things go wrong in life, we often hear people say, “This is all part of God’s plan.” Most of the time, that statement is meant as a sentiment for encouragement when there are no other words, when we are struggling with answers or a lack thereof—a reminder, if you will, that Jesus is still on the Throne and in charge, that He is working all things for the good of those who love Him.

But can I be honest? In that moment when everything shifted and the ground beneath us felt like it was no longer there…In that moment when I could no longer sense which way was up, down, or inside out, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that what was happening was NOT part of God’s plan.

How could a loving God—the perfect Father, the healer, creator, redeemer—force such hurt on His children?

The Bible says that a house divided cannot stand. So I knew, at the very core of my being, that despite what I was being told, what was happening in my life, what was happening to my family, was not an “act of God.” It was certainly not “God’s plan.”

And still, as I went and waited for results for the one I love, not knowing what next steps would look like for our family, I was so exhausted physically, mentally, and spiritually that I could not even pray. I felt paralyzed and unable to vocalize, either out loud or in my head, any words to change the situation through prayer—only being able to handle the tangible, the physical, what was right in front of me in the natural.

Instead, I reached out to those I know who would pray on our behalf, who would lift my family up when I could not. I remembered my God’s character, and I remembered all of the times that He has brought my family through—even knowing nothing we had dealt with compared to this. I remembered the things that have been spoken about and over my loved one, and I remembered the Father’s love.

I don’t think that God looked down at the situation and shook His head in disappointment at my response or lack thereof. I know that in that moment He looked down on me—His daughter, His beloved, His treasured one—with love and compassion. I felt it. I was surrounded by it in that moment and in the moments following.

In the aftermath of the days that followed, I was broken and confused. We all were. We were surrounded with love and prayers from family and friends from all around the country. If that was you, from the bottom of our hearts, we want to say thank you. You and your prayers helped sustain our family and continue to bring healing as we navigate the future and all that it holds.

January 20 could have played out much worse for our family. But God is good ALWAYS. He met our family right where we were and did a miracle. And now we are all alive and on our way to healing.

I know that I know that I know that January 20 was not God’s plan for our lives, but He will use it. It did not take Him by surprise. I am fully aware that He knew it was coming, and there is a big difference between causing something and simply allowing something.

I read a devotional the week following all that happened. Honestly, it put into words so eloquently what I knew in my bones that day.

“This is all God’s plan.” What if, instead of believing that God could cause something so ugly that it destroys those who love God, we instead shifted our mindset to reflect what I believe is more in line with the character and nature of God and said:

God has a plan for all of this.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11

Why do some tragic things happen in the worst way while others work out? Many of us won’t get those answers this side of heaven. And it is our job, as the body of Christ, to surround those suffering and pray for them, meeting the tangible, touchable needs of the moment. And in the midst of all of that, God, in all His goodness and wonder, promised that if we let Him, He will work all things—good, bad, and ugly—for the good of those who love Him.

Love You,