Life has a way of feeling like a cycle, doesn’t it? We experience moments of joy, then seasons of heartbreak. Times of clarity, then times of confusion. Sometimes it feels like we’re running in circles—but what if those circles were actually leading us somewhere?
Scripture reminds us that “for everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). God is not random. The highs and lows, the breakthroughs and breakdowns—they all serve a purpose. They are shaping us, teaching us, and slowly pointing us back toward Him.
God’s Design in the Journey
When I look back on my own life, I can see moments that didn’t make sense at the time. Pain I thought would never end. Joy I thought I’d never lose. Yet, through it all, God was weaving a story I couldn’t see yet. As this blog continues to grow, change and develop much like my own walk with our amazing Father in Heaven.
Romans 8:28 promises: “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.”
That doesn’t mean every event is good, but it does mean God is able to use every event—the ups and downs—to move us closer to Him, and He has done just that over and over throughout my life. To be quite blunt with those who may stumble across my page, I am willing to take a guess, and if you take a true and honest look at your life over time, you too will see intentional design among the various experiences you have gone through.
The Enemy’s Distraction
Of course, there’s more than one side to this story. Until now, you have unknowingly contributed to the enemy's camp. The enemy wants to keep you from learning exactly what good things God can do with the wreckage that came from his evil attack all over your life. He wants to trap us in confusion, shame, or despair so we never step into our true purpose. Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10).
That tension is real. The ups and downs aren’t just life happening—they’re part of a battle over your purpose.
When the Journey Really Begins
The turning point is when we realize the cycles of life are not accidents. Once we understand that God designs our journey to lead us back to Him—and that the enemy fights to keep us from it—we begin to walk, talk, think, see, and act differently.
We stop asking, “Why me?” and start asking, “What are You teaching me, Lord?” Or we recognize that with each step we take to get closer to God, the more dangerous we become to the dark side of this good versus evil world. We start to see in the spiritual how every detail hangs on the word of God. We understand that even the demons believe and tremble at the name of Jesus.
We stop seeing our scars as shame and start seeing them as testimonies that show with God I will overcome.
We stop chasing control and start surrendering to Christ. We no longer need to keep up with the neighbors next door because we know who distributes the resources. So instead of chasing riches or fame, we are content to simply chase Jesus.
That’s when the journey really begins: the moment we embrace life as a living testimony.
A Living Testimony
Your life is not wasted. Your story is not meaningless. Every trial, every victory, every cycle is part of God’s design to bring you closer to Him.
Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 3:3 that our lives themselves are letters, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God. Your life is being written as a testimony of His faithfulness—one that others will read, be encouraged by, and find hope in.
So if you’re in a valley right now, hold on. If you’re on a mountaintop, stay humble. Both are part of the same story, the same cycle, and the same testimony God is writing through you.
Reflection Question:
Where in your life do you see God’s design at work, even in the ups and downs?
What can you do to change how you respond so that you see God in the moment instead of the rearview?
What testimonies have you overlooked or forgotten about that had you remembered you would have never walked away from God?
