I was recently reminiscing over the past 25 years of my career path. Looking back, I can see all the curves, valleys, and even mountaintop seasons that have brought me to where God has me today. So many times in my career, I only saw the impossible, and God created a way.

Then there were times that I was sure I would experience success, and it was a colossal failure. Those were the times God was teaching me or redirecting me, or both, to get me to where I am today. I have heard that little saying many times over the years, but it certainly applies to me.

Don’t put a period where God wants to put a comma.

It is hard to lay things down before God and trust His plan in our professional lives. Especially when we are clinging too tightly to our own goals and desires. Who am I kidding? It is hard in our personal lives as well.

Whether or not we choose to trust God with our careers, we will have challenges. Obstacles. There may even be times we have to start over. All of those “re” words that seem so daunting. Re-building. Re-creating. Re-gaining. Re-doing.

I remember one summer I did a 6 am boot camp with a fitness group. On certain days we met at a football stadium to run stairs. Those boot camp days were an excellent analogy to my career path.

There were sore muscles. There were times of gasping for air. There were times I was sure I was not going to make it to the top, so I gave up and turned around halfway, retreating down in disappointment and frustration.

Then there were times I did make it to the top, but I was just trying to make it through the next thing, so I didn’t bother to look up. My eyes stayed on my feet, trying to navigate the last steps, and then turned around and headed back down without ever raising my head. I was too worried about falling (i.e., failing) to take in where I was.

If we truly trust God in our careers, He will lead us to uncomfortable places. We might feel unsure of our abilities and battle self-doubt. We may feel stretched and a bit breathless at following where God is leading.

I learned many years ago God is much more concerned with my obedience than He is with my comfort level. I have gone through seasons where I had to remind myself that God is leading me to a task for His glory and purpose. It isn’t to keep me in my small, safe parameters but to trust and rely on Him.

I have said millions of times God is full of surprises. And He is! He shows up, and He shows off, and I am humbled when He lets me witness it. Sometimes He even lets me play a minor role. There is nothing more exciting to me.

On the last day of boot camp, I finally noticed what I had been missing all summer. When I got to the top, I did something I had not done before. I looked up. It was beautiful. It was almost 7 am, and the sun was rising on the other side of the stadium. I could see treetops coming to life.

Standing there looking at that picturesque, serene view, I had an epiphany. All the growing pains, the sore muscles, and the sacrifices to obey God’s direction are worth it when you get to the top and see the view.

As long as we are on this earth, God will have plans and tasks for us to do. In the business world, we may “arrive” in our careers and enjoy the fruits of our labor. But when it comes to matters of the Kingdom, we will never “arrive.”

He is never done with us. He always has more for us to do. Even when we feel like we missed the mark on a task or completed an assignment He gave us, He still has more for us. I hope that gives you as much anticipation as it does me.

I think it is exciting because He IS full of surprises. As we are working for His purposes and goals He laid before us, every once in a while, He allows us a glimpse of the view from the top. And it is worth it.

Thank you for being a part of the UBN community. You matter to God, and you matter to us.