As daughters of the King, we have the desire for meaning and purpose. We strive for purposeful careers, education and knowledge. We crave for our work and calling to align. In our lifetime we will most likely have many careers, and it can be very difficult working in a field knowing it’s not your purpose or calling. During this time, you are in a season of preparation.

God will use seasons of preparation to help us grow, teach us and prepare us. It is crucial for our success and well-being to understand that we will go through different seasons in our careers. You may be in a season of preparation right now or will be at some time in the future.

"To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven" (Ecclesiastes 3:1 New King James Version)

While we are pursuing our purpose, we will often end up in different careers or on different paths. Though it may not make sense, each detour is purposeful and has a season. Don’t be discouraged, these times are important for our spiritual growth and He will use this time to train us and build us up. Each position we hold can actually be a stepping stone that helps lead us into our true calling. If we choose to see this as a season of preparation, we work with integrity, use this time to learn valuable job skills and wait for God to promote us into our next job. We literally work in a season while God prepares us for our next position.

"And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them" (Romans 8:28 New Living Translation)

Our fast paced society can leave us angry, upset and impatient when things do not go as quickly as we think they should. We may think God is taking too long, that we should be farther along in our career, making more money, or in a different position. It’s important that we learn to accept God’s timing and rely on Him because sometimes we stay in a season until it’s the right time for us to move on. God moves suddenly, but until He moves we will wait. Nobody gets out of waiting, but it’s your choice if you wait joyfully expecting or in misery. He will cause things to happen at exactly the right time and in ways we never could have imagined!

"We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation." (Romans 5:3-4 NLT)

We may feel like we are ready for a new chapter, but often times we don’t have the right skill set needed. Our God is gracious and loving, He won’t launch us into our calling until our character is refined to match the task. Change is a process, while many people want change they don't want to go through the waiting process. God will use times of waiting to stretch our faith in Him, bring about positive developments and growth in our lives. While you are in this season of preparation, give yourself some grace and take time to recognize the areas in your life God wants to grow you in.

Seasons of preparation can be discouraging. I want to encourage you to work diligently and be patient while God raises you up in the calling that He has set up for your life. When God directs our paths, He sometimes leads us in ways that don't make sense to us. We aren’t going to understand everything, be aware of what season you are in, and don’t be hard on yourself. Give permission to relax and stop trying to figure everything out. Let God be God as we enjoy every season of our lives.

Scripture References:

A Season of Preparation