How God Rebuilt My Identity in a Season of Waiting

“But those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.”

— Isaiah 40:31

“This is probably going to take longer than you think.”

That’s what my counselor told me as I prepared to step into a season of healing and rest. I had just transitioned my clients to a new financial advisor and sold my business. My plan was simple: take the summer off, rest, and then launch my new coaching and consulting business in the fall.

What I wasn’t prepared for was how hard rest can actually be—especially when you’ve spent your whole life producing, achieving, and measuring your worth by what you accomplish.

When Rest Feels Like Restlessness

Instead of embracing rest, I dove headfirst into building a website, designing a logo, and polishing my social media presence. By fall, I was ready to launch. I had high expectations—surely people would be eager to work with me!

Instead, I was met with silence.

No inquiries. No clients. Just… crickets.

I was embarrassed. Frustrated. I had run ahead of God. Again.

In that moment, I faced a choice:

•  Keep striving, trying harder to make something happen in my own strength.
•  Or… lay it all down and trust that God would move when the time was right.

By His grace, I chose the second.

And it changed everything. I began to learn something far more valuable than branding or business strategy: I began to learn how to rest in Him.

The Struggle to Wait

Learning to rest wasn’t a blissful vacation. It was a mental battleground.

With my husband also self-employed, our household income was unpredictable. Every time things dipped, fear rushed in. I’d scramble—again—trying to “fix it” by restarting my business efforts. I couldn’t stand feeling unproductive. Rest felt selfish, even irresponsible.

What I didn’t fully realize at the time was how tightly my identity had been woven into my career and income. Letting go of that wasn’t just uncomfortable—it was painful.

But in the quiet, I began to hear God’s voice more clearly. He kept calling me back. Not to hustle, but to trust. Not to produce, but to wait.

And I realized something profound:

God wasn’t just interested in the work I would do for Him. He was deeply invested in the work He was doing in me.

Obedience Over Outcome

One day, I found myself crying out in frustration, asking God, “What am I supposed to be doing during this time?”

Before I could even finish the thought, the word obedience settled into my spirit.

Not hustle. Not results. Just obedience.

That one word brought incredible peace. My role wasn’t to produce—it was to follow. To listen. To wait. That’s what obedience looked like in this season.

Redefining Purpose

“God didn’t create me to be a housewife!”

I remember exclaiming this to my husband in a moment of frustration. It wasn’t one of my finer moments.

I was over two decades into a successful career, and here I was—taking care of the house, running errands, tending to our aging dogs, and supporting my husband’s business as needed. Everything in me wanted to scream, “This isn’t what I’m called to do!”

But God gently corrected me.

He led me to Kelly Needham’s book Purposefooled, where she shares her own struggle with finding value in quiet, behind-the-scenes seasons of life. Her insight challenged me deeply: we aren’t made for platforms, applause, or productivity. We’re made for God. Our highest calling isn’t impact—it’s intimacy with Him.

That perspective shift changed everything.

Suddenly, being a “housewife” didn’t feel like a demotion. It felt like holy ground—because it was where God had called me to be. For this season, obedience looked like slowing down, taking care of my home, and making space for His deeper work in me.

When Waiting Is the Work

Waiting is hard. It takes courage, faith, and daily surrender.

Psalm 27:14 reminds us, “Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.” 

Sometimes obedience looks like taking big steps of faith. Other times, it looks like being still. And that stillness—when it’s rooted in trust—is not passive. It’s powerful.

And it leads to peace.

Peace in the Waiting

I wish I could end this post by telling you how my obedience led to a successful business launch, a published book, and speaking opportunities across the country. But I can’t.

Not yet, anyway.

That part of my story is still being written.

What I can tell you is this: God is faithful. He’s shown me time and again—like when He brought my husband into my life at 39 after years of waiting—that His timing is always perfect, even when it feels delayed.

And in the waiting, God prepares us.

He uses these quiet seasons not just to shape our circumstances, but to shape us. To make us ready. To refine our hearts. To remind us that we are His—and that is enough.

Fixing My Eyes on Jesus

This time, my eyes aren’t on the outcome. They’re on Jesus. I’m not chasing a platform or a product—I’m learning to be content in His presence, to walk in step with His Spirit.

This season may not look “productive” to the world. But it’s sacred. It’s healing. And it’s preparing me—once again—to become ready for what He has in store next.

I don’t know exactly what that will be.

But I do know this: I can rest in Him.

And I am resting in Him.

Thank you, Jesus. I love You so much.