(Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai. Go Unlimited to remove this message.)
(0:02 - 0:23)
Hello, my friend. If you've been walking through this season with me, you already know we've been talking about mindset, clarity, confidence, and what it looks like to live and lead with faith at the center. Today's episode hits a little closer to the heart because it's about what happens when the road gets hard.
(0:23 - 1:22)
When you say yes to the thing you feel deeply called to do, whether it's a dream, a goal, or simply the next step you know you're meant to take, and you've started to take action, but suddenly everything feels heavier than you expected. You know that moment when your excitement fades, the resistance kicks in, and you start wondering, did I mishear God? Should this really be this hard? If that's where you are, you are not alone, and today we're going to fix that by talking about how to find strength in the struggle, how to keep moving forward when the road gets hard, and how to trust that God is still working even when it feels impossible. Welcome to Goals in Grace, the podcast for accomplished women who are ready to align their ambition with faith and step into their highest potential.
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I'm Rev. Juliet Spencer, a certified high-performance coach and former pastor, and I'm here to help you break free from imposter syndrome, embrace gratitude, and lead with clarity, purpose, and peace. Each week, I'll share faith-filled encouragement, personal stories, and proven strategies from books like High Performance Habit, as well as from my coaching program, The Purpose and Peace Pathway, to help you achieve success without apology. You'll walk away with tools to lead boldly, live intentionally, and honor the calling on your life.
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Let's step into our calling together. Don't forget to follow the podcast and share it with a friend who's ready to grow. Not long ago, I was speaking with someone who was fairly new in ministry.
(2:16 - 2:33)
She sat across from me, her shoulders slumped, her hands gripping a cup of coffee like it was the only thing holding her together. I knew this would be hard, she said, her voice barely above a whisper. But I didn't think it would feel like this.
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She went on to describe the endless cycle of meetings, the late nights spent trying to craft sermons that would inspire, and the pit in her stomach every time the finance committee brought up the budget shortfall. And then she said something that hit me like a ton of bricks, I'm so busy doing church that I've forgotten how to be with God. She just wasn't prepared for the way one or two people could throw a monkey wrench into everything the church wanted to do.
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And maybe you felt that way too, like no matter how much effort you're putting in, there's always someone or something that seems determined to derail your progress. She wasn't prepared for the drain of trying to come up with something meaningful to say every single week. And maybe you've been there, staring at a blank page, wondering how you're going to find the words or the energy or the inspiration to keep going.
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And to top it all off, she was so busy doing church that she hadn't taken care to nurture her relationship with the one who called her in the first place. Have you ever felt that way, so caught up in the hustle that you lose sight of the heart behind it all? She looked at me with tears welling up in her eyes and said, I just don't know if I'm cut out for this anymore. That was the moment I realized she wasn't just tired.
(4:04 - 4:30)
She was questioning her entire calling. And isn't that what happens to all of us when life gets really hard? We start to wonder if we misheard God, if we're not strong enough, if we're not on the right path. There's this illusion that when we follow God's call, the path should somehow get smoother, that alignment means ease.
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But the truth is that alignment often brings refinement. And that's what I told her. The struggle doesn't mean you're off track.
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Sometimes it's the very sign that you're right where you need to be. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians chapter 12 verses 9 and 10, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. And then he says, therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.
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That's such a countercultural message, isn't it? We live in a world that celebrates strength, hustle, and control. But the apostle Paul is saying, no, it's in your weakness that God's strength shines the brightest. So let me ask you, where are you feeling the weight of that struggle right now? Where are you tempted to believe that resistance means you're on the wrong path? What if, instead of fighting it, you leaned into it? What if you trusted that God's grace is sufficient even here and now? So let's go back to that passage for a moment.
(5:52 - 6:02)
Paul had what he called a thorn in the flesh. Now we don't know exactly what it was. It might have been a physical ailment.
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It might have been emotional pain or maybe restless opposition from others. We don't really know. But we do know this, it was not just a passing discomfort.
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It was the kind of struggle that keeps you up at night, the kind that makes you question if you can keep going, the kind that drives you to your knees, begging God for relief. And Paul did not just ask once, he begged, not once, not twice, but three times. Can you imagine? This is Paul, the Apostle Paul, pleading with God, saying, take this from me.
(6:45 - 6:54)
I just can't do this anymore. This is the Apostle Paul we're talking about. The man who met the resurrected Christ on the road to Damascus.
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The man who planted churches, mentored leaders, and who wrote more of the New Testament than anyone else. His letters have shaped the faith of millions. His words have been read in cathedrals and whispered in hospital rooms.
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His impact on Christianity is indescribable. And yet, even Paul, the giant of the faith, wasn't spared from struggle. Even Paul had a thorn.
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And yet, God didn't respond with a resounding yes. God didn't say, well, of course I'll take that thorn from your side. God did not immediately remove the obstacle.
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God didn't unburden Paul or make the path any easier. God didn't even say, not yet. Instead, God said, my grace is sufficient for you.
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Now pause for a moment and let that just sink in. Paul wanted relief, and God offered resilience. Paul prayed for the thorn to be taken away, and God gave him strength to carry it.
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That word, sufficient, means enough for the need. Not excessive, not scarce, but exactly enough. Think about that.
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God's grace isn't like a buffet where you can just pile on more than you need, and it's not like a ration where you're left hungry and wanting. It's exactly enough, enough to get you through the day, enough to face the challenge in front of you, enough to keep going even when you feel like you cannot possibly take another step. Sometimes our prayer is, God, make it easier.
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And sometimes God's answer is, I'll make you stronger. So let me ask, where are you asking God to make it easier right now? Where are you begging for relief? And what if, just for a moment, you trusted that God's grace is sufficient, that God is giving you exactly what you need to grow stronger and to keep going, to carry the thorn and still fulfill your calling? Let's get real for a moment. When the road gets hard, whether it's in business, ministry, relationships, or even your faith, what do you do? How do you keep going when it feels like everything is working against you? Here are three truths I've seen play out time and time again, both in my own life and in the women I coach.
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Truth number one, shift from why me to what now? Shift from why me to what now? When things get tough, it's so easy to get stuck in the why me loop, isn't it? Why is this happening? Why is it so hard? Why can't it just be easier? But here's the thing, why me keeps you spinning in frustration. It keeps you looking backward, trying to analyze something you might never fully understand. Instead, what if you shifted the question? What if, instead of asking why me, you asked, what now, God? That question moves you forward.
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It invites collaboration with God. It says, I trust you to bring purpose out of this, even if I can't see it yet. And that's where the breakthrough begins.
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It's like getting stuck in quicksand. The more you struggle with why me, the deeper you sink. But when you ask what now, it's like someone throws you a rope.
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You start pulling yourself out one step at a time. Where in your life have you been stuck in the why me loop? What would it look like to ask what now instead? Number two, don't confuse resistance with redirection. Don't confuse resistance with redirection.
(11:38 - 11:56)
Resistance can feel like a wall slamming down in front of you. It's heavy, it's frustrating, and it makes you want to turn back. But what if that wall isn't a stop sign? What if it's a weight meant to strengthen you? Think about it.
(11:57 - 12:09)
Muscles only grow when they're pushed to their limit. Roots only deepen when the wind threatens to uproot them. And your character? It's forged in the fire of resistance.
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So before you quit, pause and ask, is this resistance a sign to stop or is it a sign to stretch? Because sometimes the very thing that feels like it's breaking you is the thing that's building you. Let me tell you about a moment when I almost quit. A moment when resistance felt like a giant neon sign screaming, STOP! I became acutely aware of this when I shifted from full-time ministry to the Purpose and Peace Pathway coaching program.
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If you know anything about my story, you already know that while coaching and ministry have many elements in common, there are at least that many, if not more, that are not. I've had to learn, and am still learning, about websites and social media and podcasts, all previously way out of my comfort zone. When I first went live with my website, it looked so bad.
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I thought a kindergartner could have done better. But honestly, that's not fair to the kindergartners because they probably would have done better. In any event, this is just one example of the many things I didn't know how to do.
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Honestly, it was overwhelming. I'd learn one step only to discover there were ten others that I should have learned first. Even knowing deep in my soul that this was the path God was calling me to take, I still felt deflated and so much so that I wanted to quit.
(13:57 - 14:36)
I remember clearly the day that I was so excited and celebrated that I had finished my first ever landing page. I bolted into the living room, practically tripping over myself, shouting, Jimmy, I did it! I finished my first landing page! He laughed and said he'd never heard of a landing page, but was really happy for me all the same. I knew it was a drop in the bucket compared with what I still had to learn, but I was really feeling great for the first time in months, like I might actually be able to figure it all out.
(14:36 - 14:51)
I walked back into my home office, our makeshift bedroom-office combo, still grinning like a fool, but then I saw it. The screen was black. My computer had crashed.
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My stomach dropped like a rock, and I just stood there staring as if sheer willpower would bring it back to life. I swear, at that moment my heart dropped to the floor. I was heartbroken and oh, so discouraged.
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I clearly remember the temptation to think, this is it, the sign that I am not capable of doing this. I've obviously not heard God correctly. I'm just not savvy enough to get all the technology skills needed to start my own company.
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But I'd been there before and recognized the signs. So I took a deep breath, wiped away the tears threatening to spill, and reminded myself of the truth. Computers crash, bad things happen, but that doesn't mean I'm on the wrong path.
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It just means I'm still growing. Resistance isn't always a stop sign. It's often a sign that you're stretching, growing, becoming the person you're meant to be.
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So where are you feeling resistance right now? Could it be that very thing you think is breaking you is actually building you? Even Jesus didn't carry his cross alone. Think about that for a moment. If the Son of God needed help in his hardest moment, why do we think we have to do it all on our own? Because here's what happens when we isolate ourselves in the struggle.
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Shame creeps in. It whispers, you should have had it together. You should be stronger.
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You shouldn't need help. And that shame keeps us stuck. You don't need to be superhuman to be faithful.
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Sometimes God's strength shows up through community. It's the friend who prays with you, the mentor who encourages you, and the family member who reminds you who you are. So reach out.
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Let others help carry the load. Maybe it's asking a friend to pray for you, or delegating a task that's been weighing you down. It doesn't have to be big.
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It just has to be honest, because you were never meant to walk this road alone. Who's someone you trust that you could reach out to this week? What's one small way that they could help you lighten your load? So here's my challenge for you. This week, pick one of these truths and put it into practice.
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Maybe it's shifting your mindset from why me to what now. Maybe it's pausing to ask, is this resistance or is this a stretch mark? Or maybe it's reaching out to ask someone you trust and saying, I need help. Whatever it is, take the step.
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Because the road may be hard, but you don't have to walk it alone. Paul said, When I am weak, then I am strong. Let's sit with that for a minute.
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When I am weak, then I am strong. What does that mean for you right now? Where in your life are you feeling weak? And how might God be using that very weakness to show God's strength? That's not denial. That's surrender.
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Paul is saying, When I stop pretending I can do this on my own, that's when God steps in and does what only God can do. Maybe your thorn looks like uncertainty in your business. Maybe it's leadership fatigue, family tension, or that constant feeling that you're just not good enough.
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Whatever it is, God's grace meets you in it, not after it's gone. Sometimes God doesn't remove the struggle because the struggle itself becomes the classroom where strength is formed. It's like a potter shaping clay.
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The pressure, the spinning, the fire, it's all part of the process of creating something beautiful and strong. Now, don't let me fool you. I overcame the crashing of the computer, but when I was first stepping out of full-time ministry into coaching, there were nights I just sat and stared at my computer, the screensaver's pictures rolling through on repeat, wondering what on earth I was doing.
(19:58 - 20:25)
I loved my calling, but the practical side of building a coaching business, learning technology, creating systems, it all felt overwhelming. There were times I prayed, God, if this is really what you want, could you just make it easier? And do you know what I heard over and over again? I'm not making it easy. I'm making you ready.
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Let me say that again. I'm not making it easy. I'm making you ready.
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That's the grace of the struggle. It doesn't come to crush you. It comes to cultivate you.
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So, let's get practical, because you know I always like to leave you with something you can do and not just think about. Here's your Strength in the Struggle Challenge for the week. Start your day with surrender.
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Before you dive into solving or striving, take one deep breath and say, God, I don't have to be strong today. I just have to be connected to you. Keep a strength in the struggle journal.
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Each night, write down one way you saw God's grace show up, big or small. Revisit your why. When fatigue sets in, remind yourself why you started.
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Your calling hasn't changed just because it got hard. It's being refined. Friend, if you're in a hard season right now, I want you to hear this loud and clear.
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You're not alone, and this struggle is shaping you into the kind of leader who can carry God's vision with strength and humility. The road may be hard, but you're not walking it alone. Paul said, Therefore, I delight in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties, for when I am weak, then I am strong.
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Take a moment to let that sink in. What if your weakness isn't a flaw, but a doorway to God's strength working through you? So this week, when the road gets hard, remember, you're not failing, you're forging. You're not broken, you're being built.
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And you don't have to walk this road alone. DM me and let me know how you're going to handle this road ahead. I'd love to pray for you, cheer you on, and remind you that you've got this.
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And hey, if this episode encouraged you, share it with someone who might need a little strength for their own road. Let's keep walking together. Next week, we're talking about how to take your next right step and walk boldly into your calling.
(23:09 - 23:25)
If you've ever felt stuck or unsure about what God is asking of you, this episode will help you find clarity and courage to move forward. Don't miss it. And if you haven't yet, subscribe to Goals in Grace so you never miss an episode.
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Until next time, remember this, grace isn't the absence of struggle. It's the presence of God's strength to carry you through it. Keep walking.
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You are not alone, my friend. And God bless.
(Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai. Go Unlimited to remove this message.)
