When You’re Missing Out but God Is Still Moving
A few years ago, I pulled together a group of women and said, “Let’s start walking together.”
Of course, I didn’t call it a walking group … I called it a hiking group. (It just sounds cooler, doesn’t it?)
Last year, we even took a two-day camping trip. Campfire laughs, too many snacks, and just the sweetest connection with women who had become like family. It was one of those moments you tuck away and think, We’ve got to do this every year.
Well, today is that “every year.”
And they’re all heading out again — tents, sleeping bags, snacks, and flashlights in tow.
My phone keeps lighting up with group messages: Who’s bringing the marshmallows? Don’t forget the napkins!
And I’m sitting here, leg elevated, foot wrapped, scrolling through the messages with tears quietly sliding down my cheeks.
Sometimes it’s not just a broken bone… It’s a broken heart.
In the past, I might have let discouragement or disappointment take over. I would have let that ache whisper lies: You’re missing out. You’re falling behind. You don’t matter.
But not today.
Today, I just let the tears fall and hand them to Jesus.
I whisper a prayer for my friends: that they laugh until their stomachs hurt, that they find peace in the stillness of nature, and that they walk away from the trip encouraged and empowered.
Because here’s what I’m learning: sometimes being left out isn’t being forgotten.
Sometimes, it’s being set apart… for healing, for rest, for a deeper kind of connection with God.
Scripture says:
“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” — Psalm 34:18
And right now, that verse feels like a warm blanket over my soul.
God sees the tears we hide. He knows the ache of missing out. But He also knows what He’s growing in us when we’re sitting still.
So while my friends hike the trails these next few days, I’ll be hiking a different kind, one through the valleys of patience, surrender, and trust. And I have a feeling the view at the top will be worth it.
“Be still, and know that I am God.” — Psalm 46:10
Here’s to the holy hikes we didn’t plan … the ones where Jesus meets us right wh