Why God Is Writing a Story In and Through Your Life, for His Glory

If you’ve ever looked at someone else’s life and wondered...

“Lord, why is my life so hard?”
“Why can’t I do what she’s doing?”
“Why am I such a mess, when she looks like such a success?”

You’re not alone.

 Watch before you continue reading

Those questions don’t come from rebellion.
They come from longing.
From wanting your life to matter.
From wanting to honor God with what He’s given you.

I’ve asked those questions, too.

And now, years later, I can say this with deep gratitude and praise:
God was answering them all along… just not in the ways I expected.

When I Couldn’t See What God Was Doing

There was a season of my life when comparison quietly shaped how I saw myself.

I compared myself to my friends, to women whose lives looked more organized, more capable, more together than mine.

At that time, I was extremely obese.
I was very disorganized.
And even though I loved the Lord, I often felt discouraged by the gap between the woman I was and the woman I thought I should be.

I didn’t see purpose in that season.
I didn’t see preparation.
I saw problems.

But God saw a story He was writing.

The Cancer God Used to Save and Transform My Life

Then I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

I believe God is Sovereign, and because of that, I believe He allowed, and ultimately gave me cancer. I say that with reverence, because I have lived long enough to see His Hand in it.

By His mercy and grace, God healed me. I have now been cancer-free for over twenty years.

But cancer did more than threaten my life.
God used it to save my life and to change my direction completely.

Three Ways God Made Cancer Good

There are three ways I can clearly see that now.

First,

  🌟 God transformed me personally.

After my diagnosis, I became motivated (I say "desperate") to become healthier in a way I never had before. I lost 50 pounds, and eventually 100 pounds. I began to steward my body, my habits, and my life differently, with gratitude instead of frustration.

Second,

  🌟 God sent me to a mission field I could only get to through having cancer.

During my treatments, I interacted closely with the same doctors and nurses week after week and month after month. I shared the gospel of Jesus Christ and lived out my faith before them. I brought my two children, ages 13 and 16, who we homeschooled, with me to appointments, and not only did they witness God’s faithfulness firsthand, but they also were a living testimony to those medical staff members. That ministry could only happen through my cancer diagnosis.  

You may be in a place you would never have chosen for yourself, yet that very place may be where God has aligned your purpose and where your greatest fruit will be borne, for His glory.

You cannot see it now, just as I could not see it then, but God may have given you entrance into your greatest season of fruitfulness through a trial you would never have chosen.

So praise Him in the midst of the trial, not for what you understand, but for what He is doing.

Third,

  🌟 God gave my story impact.

People often open up to you, and will listen to you when you have suffered deeply.

Because you have endured a trial like cancer, they believe, whether rightly or not, that you know things about life they need to know. It gives you credibility in their eyes, not for your glory, but so God can use your life to point others to Him.

These things are why I often say:

“God transforms you more through your trials

than your triumphs.”

Wendy Gunn

God Never Wastes Your Suffering

 At the time I had cancer, people asked me, “Why do you think God allowed you to have cancer?” At the time, I honestly answered, “I don’t know.”

I didn’t understand it then.
It took years for the fruit to become visible.

God never wastes our suffering, but He doesn’t always explain it while we’re in it.

Now, looking back, I can see the fruit, the blessing, and the story God was writing and continues to write in and through my life.

Watch the full message here; Timestamp 10:15 How God Uses Trials to Prepare Us for Growth

And He is writing a story in and through your life, as well.

God Was Faithful in Every Chapter

 The years that followed were full of goals achieved in ways I never could have imagined.

  🌟 My husband and I finished raising and homeschooling our children

  🌟 We celebrated over four decades of faithful marriage

And, then, many of my biggest goals were achieved after turning 60:

  🌟 I lost my second fifty pounds

  🌟 God led me to start an online business

  🌟 God grew that work and multiplied it

  🌟 He allowed me, through growing my email list in just over two years, to serve over 12,000 subscribers with an open rate of 37% (it's now 45%!)

  🌟 And He gave me the gift of taking our whole family, including our grown children and son-in-law, on a dream trip to Italy celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary, using miles I had saved...a tangible reminder of His abundance and kindness

Looking back now, I don’t see a series of trials.

I see a faithful God.

God Is Writing a Story In and Through Your Life

 This is a truth I now hold very deeply:

God is writing a story in and through your life, for His glory.

All the parts, sometimes especially the ugly parts, are important to see His hand in, to share, and are the parts He will use most powerfully to transform others’ lives.

Many Christian women know they are uniquely created by God for a purpose.

But when that truth doesn’t shape everyday decisions, life can feel confusing and heavy.

This is deeply connected to how God uniquely created you for His purpose, not someone else’s.

🔗 Watch the full message here

 Many Christian women struggle to lead themselves with confidence, not because they lack ability, but because they aren’t sure how their God-given identity connects to daily decisions, priorities, and leadership. 

Learning to Lead from Rest

Over time, God has taught me something simple, and life-changing.

I’ve learned to lead from rest, not from pressure.

Not from striving.
Not from comparison.
Not from fear of falling behind.

Leading from rest doesn’t mean doing nothing.
It means making decisions, setting priorities, and taking faithful action from a settled place of trust.

Telling Your Story For God’s Glory

 Another truth I now live by is this:

I’ve learned to tell my story for God’s glory, and not leave out the ugly parts.

That is why I encourage women to "Tell Your Story For God’s Glory."

God uses honest stories.
He uses redeemed pain.
He uses lives that have been saved, changed, and surrendered.

Your story is not something to hide.
It is a testimony God wants to use.

Through embracing who God uniquely created you to be, and telling your story for His glory, you will discover your purpose. It is an ever-unfolding story, with new chapters written daily to glorify Him.

Leading Yourself Well, God’s Way

You may know you’re created by God for a purpose, but still struggle to lead yourself with clarity and confidence day to day.

I help Christian women learn how to lead their thoughts, time, and decisions in alignment with who God created them to be.

 A Final Word of Praise

When I look back over my life, I don’t see what I lacked.

I see what God did.

I see His patience.
His mercy.
His redeeming power.

You are not forgotten.
You are not random.
You are being formed.

And God is writing a story in and through your life, for His glory.