This season has been a whirlwind of change for our family. And I mean a lot of change. We believe God is calling us out of Miami after 15 wonderful years. Jeff and I moved here a week after our wedding, and it’s where our kids were born, where we built our community, our church, and my businesses.

Miami has been our home. But now, Jeff and I feel a strong call to move on, signaling the end of our work here and the start of a new adventure. And let me tell you, change is hard, y’all. It’s exciting, yes, but it’s also really hard, sad, and painful in many ways.

Leaving the Comfort

We’re leaving behind our community, and our girls are saying goodbye to their friends—just as we are. I’m closing my law firm, a long time coming, to focus fully on this podcast and my coaching business. This is a huge leap of faith. My law firm has been our family’s financial rock for a decade, and starting it in 2014 was a significant part of my identity. Laying it down because God is telling us to move is tough, and if I’m honest, it feels like a big part of who I am is wrapped up in being an attorney.

Then there’s our ministry. We’ve been co-pastoring with another couple who will now take over full-time. Telling them, our staff, and our people that we’re leaving has been heart-wrenching. And anyone who’s sold a house and moved with young kids knows it’s a whole thing. Keeping the house spotless for showings is stressful.

Stress in the Unknown

Jeff and I have had to be super intentional about managing our stress responsibly to stay united during this transition because, while it’s good, it’s still incredibly hard. So much is unknown—where the girls will go to school, whether we’ll homeschool, and what our new ministry will look like. It’s a ton of trust and surrender. But I can’t help but feel that this season is preparing us for something.

This isn’t our first challenging season. We’ve faced the death of loved ones, job and business losses, scary health issues, marital and financial valleys, and four miscarriages—the last one nearly killed me. I know many of you are in challenging seasons too—whether it’s a transition, health concern, mental health struggle, relational issue, or something else. Maybe you’re in a dark season and haven’t seen the light at the end of the tunnel yet, and you’re exhausted.

Biosphere 2

Whatever your season looks like, if you’re struggling, I want to encourage you today with a story that’s been a comfort to me and shaped my mindset when faced with hard things—like uprooting our family and moving to a new city with no house, where we don’t know anyone, leaving everything comfortable and secure, and going all-in on this coaching business that I know I’m called to do. It’s a season of leap after leap of faith. In moments of doubt, this story has been an anchor for me.

Back in the late 80s, a huge research facility called Biosphere 2 was built in Arizona to create a self-sustaining habitat mimicking Earth’s environments. They created various ecosystems and put eight people inside to live for two years. However, researchers observed that many trees inside Biosphere 2 grew weak and fell over before reaching maturity. Without wind to stimulate the development of “stress wood,” the trees lacked the structural integrity to support their own weight.

It’s when the winds blow the strongest that our roots grow the deepest.

Mindset Shift

That’s the mindset shift—the lesson. Many of us want to live a Biosphere 2 life, preferring perfect conditions, protection, and ease. But without challenges and adversity, we’d topple over like those trees. Life’s stressors are necessary for our growth and strength. We need challenges to build resilience and thrive long-term.

One line that’s helped me during tough times is: life is never happening to me. Life is always happening for me.

I’m not a victim of my circumstances. Life doesn’t happen to me; it happens for me, building strong roots and resilience. The hard times refine us, grow our surrender muscles, expand our edges, and prepare us for something good that we need to grow into. This adversity is a gift, even though it’s super uncomfortable.

A Perspective Change Isn’t Toxic Positivity

I’m not advocating toxic positivity. We must feel and process pain, anger, frustration, and disappointment. But we can process hard things without falling into a victim mentality. We can cry, scream, and kick with the mindset that there is a purpose in this pain, a lesson in this season. And in my experience, the sooner I learn the lesson, the sooner the painful season ends. Resentment and stubbornness prolong the season, circling the same mountain over and over.

I don’t preach a lot here, but I might start, just kidding. Whether you read the Bible or not, this is wise teaching. James 1:2-4 says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

So, be encouraged today if you’re in a challenging season. It’s not happening to you; it’s happening for you. As much as it sucks, there is a purpose and a lesson for you in it. If you accept the invitation, there’s growth, strengthening, and preparation for the next season. Share this with someone you know who’s going through it today. Let’s speak life and encouragement over each other—life’s tough, and it’s better when we do it together.

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