When Faith Meets the Curveballs

Sometimes faith isn't about having all the answers. It's about trusting God in the uncertainty, surrendering what we cannot control, and choosing to believe in His goodness—even when life doesn't make sense.

When Faith Meets the Curveballs

I woke up this morning with a heavy heart.

And no, not because we lost a football game.

Sure, football is important to me. That should go without saying. But mostly because I care deeply about these kids, and I want so badly to see them experience success.

But this morning, my heart is heavy for reasons that go far beyond football.

Because right now, life just feels confusing.

This past month has been full of curveballs. The kind you don't see coming. The kind you can't prepare for. The kind that leave you standing there wondering what in the world just happened.

And the hardest part? So much of it is completely outside our control.

We can only control how we respond.

And today, in this moment, I would be lying if I told you I wasn't struggling with that.

I'm the eldest daughter in my family. And if you know anything about eldest daughters, you probably know where I'm going with this.

"I'm fine. Everything is fine."

It's practically been my life motto.

I push through. I figure things out. I pour into other people, even when my own cup is running on empty. I convince myself that I can handle it, that I'm doing enough, and that somehow I have to be the strong one.

But this season of life?

It's testing me.

I've never been someone who naturally sees everything through rose-colored glasses. I'm more of a realist, especially when life gets hard. But I do try to find the good in difficult situations.

And let me tell you, being married to a football coach for more than 26 years will teach you to find some perspective if you want any chance of surviving this life.

Adam and I recently had a conversation about perspective and how much ours has had to change over the years. Life looks different now. Circumstances are different. Our responsibilities, our expectations, even the way we define success have changed.

And we're learning to adjust.

But goodness, that's easier said than done.

Because just when you think the tide might finally be turning...

BOOM.

Another curveball.

And lately, that seems to be the trend.

Now, hear me when I say this. I have never been a fan of a victim mentality. I don't believe in sitting around feeling sorry for yourself or blaming everything and everyone for your circumstances.

But I do believe there comes a point when even the strongest person gets tired.

A point when you find yourself quietly asking God...

When is the breakthrough coming?

And maybe that's where I am right now.

What's interesting about seasons like this is that while I find myself questioning so many things around me, I also begin questioning myself.

Am I enough?

Am I doing enough?

Am I fulfilling the purpose God has placed before me?

Are we being obedient in every area of our lives?

Are we missing something?

Those are hard questions.

And if there's one thing adversity will do, it's humble you.

It's easy to point to circumstances, conditions, or things beyond our control. But sometimes these seasons force us to look inward, too. They become a gut check. Not necessarily because we've done something wrong, but because hardship has a way of revealing where we're placing our trust.

My faith is a huge part of who I am.

It has carried me through some incredibly difficult seasons as a wife, a mother, and a coach's wife.

And I can promise you, without it, I would be a walking disaster.

I believe with my whole heart that Adam and I have tried to be obedient to God's calling on our lives. I believe He has a plan for us. I believe He loves us and wants what is ultimately good for us.

But believing those things doesn't automatically erase the confusion.

It doesn't make disappointment hurt less.

It doesn't make the criticism quieter.

And it certainly doesn't mean that when life looks nothing like you imagined, you won't have questions.

Which brings me to something God placed in front of me this morning.

The book of Habakkuk.

I'll be the first to admit that I've never really spent time studying this particular book of the Bible. But after what I read this morning, I think that needs to change.

Habakkuk begins with an incredibly honest question to God:

"O LORD, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear?" — Habakkuk 1:2

In other words...

God, I don't understand.

I don't understand what You're doing.

I don't understand why things are happening this way.

And I don't understand why You aren't changing them.

Whew.

If that doesn't describe where my heart has been lately, I don't know what does.

But here's what struck me.

Habakkuk didn't stop talking to God because he was confused.

He kept going back.

He brought his questions, his frustration, and his disappointment to the Lord.

And while God's response wasn't necessarily what Habakkuk expected, something beautiful happened through that process.

His circumstances weren't suddenly made easy. His questions weren't all answered the way he wanted.

But his perspective changed.

By the end of the book, Habakkuk was able to declare that even if the fig tree didn't blossom, even if the fields produced no food, even if everything around him seemed to be falling apart...

"Yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation." — Habakkuk 3:18

YET.

What a powerful little word.

Not because everything worked out.

Not because the breakthrough had finally arrived.

Not because life suddenly made sense.

But because God was still God.

And His goodness wasn't dependent on the circumstances.

I needed that reminder today.

Because it is so easy to become consumed by disappointment. To allow frustration, judgment, criticism, and circumstances beyond our control to make us question our purpose.

To wonder if we're doing enough.

To wonder if we're making a difference.

To wonder if we're even on the right path.

But maybe faith isn't about having every answer.

Maybe sometimes faith looks like showing up before God completely exhausted, confused, frustrated, and even a little angry, and saying...

Lord, I don't understand any of this. But I'm still here. And I'm still trusting You.

I think sometimes we convince ourselves that obedience should produce outcomes that make sense to us.

That if we're doing what God has called us to do, the road should eventually become easier.

That the hard work, the sacrifices, the commitment, and the faithfulness should lead to the breakthrough we've been praying for.

But that's not always how it works.

Sometimes obedience leads us straight through uncomfortable places.

Sometimes faith requires us to keep walking when we can't see what's ahead.

And sometimes the very circumstances we're begging God to change become the circumstances He uses to change us.

This past month hasn't felt good.

It's been difficult. It's been confusing. And if I'm being completely transparent, it's caused me to question a lot of things.

But perhaps that's why this reminder came at exactly the right time.

Because even people with strong faith need to be reminded that God's goodness doesn't always arrive in a pretty little package wrapped with a big bow.

Sometimes growth comes through disappointment.

Sometimes perspective comes through adversity.

Sometimes the greatest lessons in faith are learned when life looks nothing like we expected.

And sometimes we have to stop trying to control the story long enough to remember who is writing it.

I don't know what tomorrow holds.

I don't know when the breakthrough is coming.

And I certainly don't have all the answers today.

But I do know this:

My responsibility isn't to control every outcome.

My responsibility is to remain faithful in the middle of it.

To keep showing up. To keep loving people. To keep doing the work God has placed before me. To keep trusting Him, even when I don't understand what He's doing.

And to bring every bit of it—the confusion, the doubts, the tears, the disappointment, and yes, even the frustration—to the feet of Jesus.

Because at the end of the day, our response to adversity is part of our testimony.

And maybe, just maybe, the testimony isn't always found in the breakthrough.

Sometimes it's found in the faith it takes to keep going while we're still waiting.

Even when I don't understand...yet I will trust Him.