At the start of every year, we’re bombarded with messages telling us it’s time to start fresh, make bold moves, and step into something new. — apply for the new job, move to a new city, launch the business, or walk away from what no longer serves us.
I’m guilty of posting those same encouragements — and for some of us, that is exactly what God is calling us to do.
But what if God’s instruction for this season isn’t to start over, but to stay right where you are?
What if God’s calling isn’t to leave… but to stay?
One of the hardest lessons I’ve learned on this faith journey is that sometimes obedience looks like staying planted in uncomfortable places.
Staying in that job you don’t love.
Staying in that marriage when you’re fighting to hold on.
Staying in that community or church — even after disappointment.
Staying in the waiting when God feels silent.
But why would a good God ask us to stay in hard places?
Because what God wants to produce in us is far greater than the temporary discomfort we’re so desperate to run from.
Now, let me be clear — if you’re in a situation where you’re being abused or mistreated, seek God and wise counsel. There is no shame in walking away when your safety is at risk.
But if we’re honest…
Sometimes we run simply because it’s hard.
Sometimes we leave too soon because it’s not happening the way we expected.
Sometimes our flesh doesn’t want to endure what God is trying to build in us.
Even Jesus Had the Faith to Stay
When we look at the life of Jesus, we see the greatest example of what it means to endure the hard thing for a greater purpose.
On the night before He was arrested, Jesus prayed:
“Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”
— Luke 22:42
Even Jesus — the Son of God — wrestled with what He was about to endure. But through earnest prayer and willful submission to God’s plan, He stayed.
His obedience to stay changed the course of history..
Staying When You Want to Leave
A few years ago, I found myself stuck in a job I no longer liked.
Every day, I came home frustrated, venting to my husband about how miserable I was. One day, he finally said, “Maybe it’s time to find something new.”
He was right. I was ready to move on.
I applied to five jobs and eventually landed an interview. I just knew this was my ticket out.
I prepared. I practiced. I was ready.
But two nights before the interview, I started feeling something deep down in my spirit — a gentle but firm nudge that I wasn’t supposed to go.
I wrestled with it because I wanted to leave. I couldn’t understand why God would tell me to stay in a place where I was so unhappy.
But I obeyed. I canceled the interview, with no clue why God would ask me to stay.
What If Your Obedience Is Attached to Someone Else’s Breakthrough?
A few weeks later, I invited a few coworkers to church — something I had done before with no success.
But this time… they said yes.
That Sunday, we went to church together, grabbed some pizza afterward, and shared some laughs.
The next Sunday, I invited them again. Only one coworker came back.
Week after week, she kept showing up.
Then one day, she pulled me aside and told me she wanted to give her life to Christ and get baptized.
But what she said next left me in tears:
“Will you baptize me?”
In that moment, everything made sense.
God didn’t ask me to stay for the paycheck.
He didn’t ask me to stay for comfort.
He asked me to stay because a soul was attached to my obedience.
August 19,2018
What If Staying Is the Setup for Your Breakthrough?
A few months after I baptized my coworker, I got a phone call out of the blue.
A job I didn’t even apply for reached out with a better opportunity, higher pay, and only five minutes from my home.
It was the kind of blessing that could only come from God — because I had surrendered my timeline for His.
The truth is…
God will never leave you in a hard place without purpose.
What He’s producing in you through the hard thing is far greater than anything you could produce on your own.
The Faith to Stay Is Never Wasted
If you’re in a season where you’re ready to quit, I want to remind you:
Staying doesn’t mean you’re stuck.
Staying doesn’t mean you’re settling.
Staying means you’re trusting God even when you don’t understand.
You never know what your obedience to stay will unlock — for you or for someone else.
Is God Giving You the Faith to Stay?
Before you walk away from that job, relationship, or season…
Pause.
Pray.
Ask God — Is this my time to leave? Or are You calling me to stay?
Trust that if He’s asking you to stay, there is something greater on the other side of your obedience. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13
January 1, 2023
I’d love to hear from you — have you ever felt God calling you to stay in a hard place? How did He show up in your obedience?
Drop a comment below or share this post with someone who’s in a season of waiting.
Remember… God honors the faith to stay.
Comments