Character Is Built in the Hardest Seasons
But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.
Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
— 2 Peter 1:5-11
No one enjoys difficult seasons. Whether it's a demanding training session, a difficult season in marriage, or a challenge that seems impossible to overcome, our first instinct is often to ask, “Why is this happening?”
But what if God is using it to develop something far more valuable than comfort?
Throughout my basketball career, the toughest practices were never meant to break me. They were designed to strengthen me. The same has been true in my marriage. There have been moments when I questioned whether I had what it took to keep going.
Looking back, I can now see that those very seasons were shaping my character in ways that easier seasons never could.
Your Playbook
2 Peter 1:5–11 reminds us to continually grow in faith, goodness, knowledge, self control, perseverance, godliness, mutual affection, and love. As these qualities increase, they prepare us to live fruitful lives and faithfully fulfill God's calling.
Leaders are not developed when life is easy. They are forged in the middle of the struggle. They encourage others during difficult training sessions, remain faithful when the journey is hard, and continue trusting God even when they cannot yet see the outcome.
If you find yourself in a season of training today, do not waste it. Instead of asking God to remove the challenge, ask Him what He is developing within you.
Your current season may not be delaying your calling. It may be preparing you for it.
Reflection
What character quality is God developing in you during this season, and how might it be preparing you for the calling He has placed on your life?