Episode 4
There are seasons in life that feel quiet, hidden, and painfully ordinary. They are not the kinds of seasons people celebrate. They do not look impressive from the outside, and they often do not feel fruitful while you are in them. Yet those seasons matter more than we sometimes realize.
Many women know what it feels like to live through a season that seems small on the outside but heavy on the inside. A season where life feels confined, slow, misunderstood, or invisible. You may still be doing what needs to be done, but inwardly you feel stretched. You wonder whether anything meaningful is happening at all.
I know that feeling. There was a time in my life when I felt completely shut in. I was pregnant, exhausted, and spending most of my days in one room. I ate there, rested there, and lived within those same four walls day after day. It was a difficult season, not only physically but emotionally. I felt like life was moving on without me. To make matters worse, people made comments that cut deeply. Some even called me lazy. Those words stayed with me, and I began to feel guilty, embarrassed, and unproductive. But one day, during a short walk, the Lord gently settled my heart. He made me understand that what I was experiencing was not failure. It was a season. And like every season, it had a purpose.
That changed my perspective.
Hidden seasons are not wasted seasons
One of the biggest mistakes we can make is to assume that only visible seasons matter. We tend to celebrate progress when it is obvious, measurable, and easy to explain. But God often does some of His deepest work in the seasons that feel the least impressive. There are seasons for building, seasons for stretching, seasons for healing, seasons for waiting, and seasons for quiet preparation. Not all of them will look productive by the world’s standards. That does not mean they are empty. Some seasons are not meant to display your strength. They are meant to deepen your trust. That is one of the reasons Sarah’s story speaks so powerfully to me. Value every season, by making the best of it. and
So if you are in a season that feels quiet, unseen, or uncertain, do not rush to escape it before asking what it may be producing in you. If your days feel repetitive, if your obedience feels unnoticed, or if your current assignment feels smaller than what you hoped for, do not assume that nothing important is happening.
Some of the holiest work in our lives happens in ordinary places.
The strength of quiet trust
When we think about Sarah, many people focus on the promise of Isaac or the long wait before that promise was fulfilled. But there is another part of her story that deserves attention. Sarah followed Abraham into the unknown. She left what was familiar and stepped into a life she did not fully understand. She did not know all the details ahead of time. She simply walked with God and with the man she had become one with in marriage. That kind of quiet trust should not be mistaken for weakness. In a culture that often rewards visibility, volume, and self-assertion, quiet obedience can be overlooked. But Sarah’s life reminds us that there is strength in steady trust. There is strength in following God through seasons you did not choose. There is strength in embracing a journey before you fully understand it.
You may be in a season where your role feels hidden. You may be caring for children, adjusting to marriage, recovering your strength, carrying burdens no one sees, or learning to live faithfully in an unfamiliar chapter. It may not feel glamorous. It may not feel important. But God is working; growth is taking place. Do not despise this time.
Marriage is about purpose.
Another important lesson from Sarah’s life is this: marriage is more than companionship. It is partnership with purpose. Sarah was not simply Abraham’s wife in a social sense. She was part of a larger assignment. God called Abraham, yes, but Sarah’s participation mattered. The promise unfolding through that family involved both of them. Her place was not accidental. She was essential.
That is why marriage should never be approached as though it is the end goal in itself. Marriage shouldn't be a romantic milestone or a social or cultural achievement. It is the beginning of a new stewardship; two people made one, not just to enjoy each other but to walk out purpose together.
It means that choosing a spouse is not just about physical attraction, chemistry, or convenience. It is also about alignment of purpose. It is about asking whether this is someone with whom you can walk in obedience, someone you can respect, love, build with, and fulfill what God has placed before you.
You and your spouse are not competitors. You are not rivals trying to prove who matters more. You are partners, each carrying responsibility, each bringing value, and each needed in the life you are building together.
Submission is about order, not inferiority
There is often a lot of resistance when it comes to the subject of submission. This is also not unrelated to the misunderstandings we have as a result of cultural and societal influences. But if you understand it correctly, you don't have to feel bad.
Biblical submission is not about one person being superior and the other being lesser. It is not about silencing a woman’s strength, voice, or intelligence. It is about divine order. It is about a marriage functioning in a way that honors God’s design so that both parties can work together in peace and a singleness of purpose.
When marriage is understood that way, submission no longer feels like oppression but begins to look like mutual cooperation within God’s order. It helps a husband and wife remain united, avoid unnecessary conflict, and keep their shared purpose in view. Marriage is not effortless, and no marriage is perfect, but when both spouses are committed to working together, the relationship becomes healthier, stronger, and more fulfilling. In that kind of union, both husband and wife are reminded that marriage is bigger than personal preference; it is about building a life that honors God.
Highlights
- Hidden and difficult seasons are not wasted seasons; they often carry deep purpose even when they do not look productive.
- Sarah’s life shows that quiet trust and steady obedience are signs of strength, not weakness.
- Marriage is not just companionship; it is a purposeful partnership that requires alignment, order, and shared commitment.
- Ordinary seasons and simple acts of obedience may be the very places where God is doing His deepest work.
Reflection
1. What season are you in right now, and how might God be asking you to embrace it rather than resist it?
2. In what ways can you approach your marriage, or future marriage, more intentionally as a shared mission and not just a personal milestone?
