Have you ever had a season where you wanted to live intentionally… but you just didn’t have it in you?
I have. More times than I can count.
You know how it goes: you wake up with good intentions, ready to read your Bible, drink water, eat healthy, be kind, stay focused, live on purpose…
and ten minutes into the day, something hits. Or nothing hits, and you feel drained, distracted and behind.
I’ve had days like that. Well… to be truthful, many days like that.
But here’s a story that still stands out to me.
When I was 18, I moved from New Mexico to Oklahoma—leaving my small hometown for a big city. This was long before cell phones and GPS. I had my directions scribbled on paper, a car full of my belongings, and a heart full of nerves.
As I pulled into Tulsa, nothing looked familiar. I couldn’t find my destination. I was hot, tired, overwhelmed… and honestly, scared. I remember gripping the steering wheel with tears streaming down my face and thinking, If home wasn’t so far away, I would turn around right now. I meant it.
Right there in that moment, I had a choice:
Give in to despair… or trust God and praise Him right where I was, even though everything in me wanted to quit.
I chose praise—not because I felt strong, but because I didn’t know what else to do. It was my way of saying, “Lord, I trust You in this.”
And within five minutes, God met me.
I pulled into an apartment complex at the exact same time another woman did. I rolled down my window and asked, “You’re not by chance Susana O…?” She looked surprised and said, “Yes! You must be Collette!”
She and her family were the people I was supposed to stay with for the next few months until I got settled. In a city I couldn’t navigate, in a season where I felt completely out of my depth, God placed us in the same spot… at the same moment.
He came through.
And I’ve often wondered how different that story could have been if I had stayed in that place of despair instead of choosing trust.
When Intentional Living Feels Hard
Life has a way of wearing us down. Sometimes intentional living looks strong and bold—but sometimes it looks like whispering a prayer when you don’t have the words… or opening your Bible to one verse because that’s all your mind can hold… or choosing a kind response when you’re exhausted.
And sometimes it means simply not giving up.
The enemy loves to whisper two lies:
“You’re failing.”
“You should be further along by now.”
But God doesn’t speak to us like that.
His Word tells us:
“Look straight ahead…” (Proverbs 4:25)
“He gives strength to the weary…” (Isaiah 40:29)
“Run with endurance… fixing your eyes on Jesus.” (Hebrews 12:1–2)Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Not sprint.
Not leap.
Not juggle everything.
Just… keep moving forward.
One small, faithful step at a time.
One Step at a Time
I’m learning that God isn’t asking me to be perfect—He’s asking me to be faithful. Faithful with the energy I do have. Faithful in the small. Faithful in the ordinary. Faithful even when I’m tired or unsure.
And the beautiful thing?
God meets us in those steps.
He strengthens us when we are weak.
He steadies our feet when they are shaky.
He breathes hope back into places where discouragement tried to settle.
If you’re in a tired season, a busy season, or a quietly discouraged season, please hear this:
God is on your side. (He convicts, instead of condemning.)
He is not surprised by the choices you make or the feelings you have.
He walks with you.
He strengthens you.
And He is helping you take your next step.
Just one step.
Because sometimes… that’s all it takes to keep going.
Will you join me in prayer and trusting Him?
Lord, we come to You just as we are—tired, hopeful, overwhelmed, grateful, discouraged, or somewhere in between. Thank You that You meet us in every season, in every emotion, and in every step. Today, we choose to place our trust in You again. Not in our own strength, not in our feelings, and not in our ability to do everything perfectly—but in Your faithfulness.
Strengthen us where we feel weak. Help us lift our eyes to You when we feel discouraged. Give us peace where stress has settled, and bring clarity where things feel confusing. Help us to take the next small, intentional step You are calling us to take… and then the next.
Teach us to walk with You one day at a time, one moment at a time, one act of obedience at a time. Remind us that You go before us, You walk beside us, and You carry us when needed.
We trust You with our pace. We trust You with the process. And we trust You with our story. Thank You for loving us, leading us, and renewing our strength. We choose to keep moving forward—with You and for Your glory. In Jesus’ name, amen.