When Showing Up Doesn't Look Like I Planned

Rachael Gourley
Aug 16
3 min read

August 16, 2026

Hope for the Hard Places | Hope 40:31

Scripture from This Week

Isaiah 28–41 • Acts 4:11–12 • Matthew 11:2–6 • John 1:19–23

“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.”Isaiah 40:31

I started this week with a plan.

Monday morning, I got up at 4:30, went to the gym, came home, and did my Bible study. I felt like I was finally getting back into a routine after surgery, traveling, and life being… well, life.

I planned to work out every day.

I didn't.

Tuesday came, and I was tired. Then Wednesday. Then Thursday. Work started back. School started. Family needed me. My finger was still healing. And by the end of the week, there were some things with my son that didn't turn out the way we'd hoped.

If I measured this week only by the plan I made at the beginning, I could call parts of it a failure.

But God has been teaching me something through this week's Scripture:

Faithfulness doesn't always look like flawless follow-through.

Isaiah repeatedly warns God's people about putting their confidence in the wrong things—their own plans, strength, alliances, or ability to control what happens next.

Then we arrive at Isaiah 40:

“Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.”

Not those who get everything right.

Not those who never miss a workout.

Not those whose children always get the position they worked for.

Not those whose plans unfold exactly as expected.

Those who hope in the Lord.

And Matthew 11 reminds me that even John the Baptist had moments when what God was doing didn't look the way he expected. Jesus didn't shame his questions. He pointed John back to the evidence of God's work.

Maybe I need to do the same.

Instead of only looking at what I didn't accomplish this week, I can look for where God was working.

I worked out Monday. That's a win.

I continued getting into God's Word. That's a win.

I went back to work and showed up for my patients. That's a win.

I showed up for my family. That's a win.

I faced disappointment I couldn't fix and am learning to trust God with it. That's growth.

And yes, I missed workouts.

I was tired.

Some days didn't look anything like I planned.

But those aren't reasons to quit. They're invitations to begin again.

John the Baptist said, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’” (John 1:23)

Maybe our messy seasons aren't wasted wilderness.

Maybe they're where God clears away our dependence on perfect plans, perfect outcomes, and perfect performance so we can learn to depend more fully on Him.

What I'm Taking Into Next Week

I don't need to make up for this week.

I don't need to punish myself for what I didn't accomplish.

I simply need to show up again.

Another workout.

Another morning with Jesus.

Another day loving my family.

Another opportunity to trust God with things I cannot control.

Isaiah 41:10 says, “Do not fear, for I am with you… I will strengthen you and help you.”

That's the thread tying this entire week together.

My strength was never supposed to come from me getting everything right. My strength comes from the One who stays with me when I don't.

So I'm walking into a new week without calling this one a failure.

There were wins.

There were losses.

There were disappointments.

There was exhaustion.

There was healing.

And through every bit of it—

God was still there.

Prayer

Jesus, thank You for meeting me in the weeks that don't go according to plan. Help me stop measuring my faithfulness by perfection. Teach me to notice the small victories, learn from the hard moments, and keep showing up. When I'm tired, renew my strength. When I'm disappointed, remind me that You see what I cannot. And when I want to give up because I didn't do everything I planned, remind me that tomorrow is another opportunity to walk with You.

Help me place my hope in You—not in my performance, my plans, or the outcomes I want.

I'm still showing up, Lord. Keep teaching me how to trust You in the messy middle.

Amen. 💜