Faith Over Fear: Finding Strength in Setbacks

Recently, I had the privilege of attending a retreat with 14 remarkable young women and several dedicated coaches. We gathered to pour into their lives, to speak truth, courage, and leadership into their hearts. It was a weekend of legacy, raising up the next generation of women leaders who will shape their homes, communities, and future.

As part of our retreat, we were invited to participate in a high ropes obstacle course. I had never done one before. I’ve faced many challenges in life and stepped into the unknown more times than I can count, but this was new terrain. The kind that doesn’t just test your strength, but your surrender.

We were given three choices: an easy route, a medium one, and the hard course. Most opted for easy. A few chose hard. I landed somewhere in the middle, literally and figuratively, and chose the medium course along with a colleague.

Lesson 1: Faith Over Fear Starts with One Brave Step

The first challenge felt manageable. I was even enjoying myself. But then came the second, third… and by the fourth, everything changed. The height. The sway. The sun blazing down on us. Suddenly the obstacles felt much bigger, and I found myself questioning why I had even said yes.

Fear whispered, “Go back. What were you thinking? You’re too old for this.” But faith nudged me forward. It reminded me that neither age, past experience, nor fear should define my next step.

It made me think of the many moments in life where we are pushed to take a risk, to try something new in our career, start a new ministry, parent a child through a difficult season, or begin again after heartbreak or loss. And it’s in those moments, when everything in us wants to retreat, that faith quietly speaks: keep going.

“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise in God I trust and am not afraid.” —Psalm 56:3-4

Can you trust Him when life feels unstable? When the job is uncertain? When you’re overwhelmed at home? When your heart is tired? He’s already provided what you need, you just have to keep walking forward to discover it.

Lesson 2: When You Fall, You’re Not Alone

My colleague was ahead of me and courageously pushed through. But just as she was about to finish that fourth challenge, she slipped. Suspended mid-air by nothing but her harness, she hung there, helpless, vulnerable, exposed. The heat was relentless. She spun in slow circles. Time felt frozen.

But help came.  The staff moved swiftly and gently pulled her back into position. She was shaken, but safe. And more importantly, she wasn’t alone.

That image stays with me because I’ve lived it, not on a ropes course, but in life. I’ve been the woman hanging midair, disoriented and stuck in circumstances I didn’t expect. Burned out. Heartbroken. Confused. And yet… I was held. God never let me drop.

He is our harness. Even when we fall, He’s already secured our rescue. Sometimes it comes in the form of a friend who calls at the right moment. A scripture that reminds you you’re seen. A stranger’s kindness. A breakthrough you didn’t see coming.

And if you’re feeling like you’ve slipped lately, remember this: you are not falling apart. You are being held.

Lesson 3: Setbacks Can Lead to New Strength

After my colleague’s fall, I was told to exit the course and head back. Alone now, I retraced my steps, and something remarkable happened.  The obstacles that once filled me with fear? They didn’t anymore.

Why? Because I had already faced them. I had walked them before. I knew what to expect. And instead of dread, I moved with clarity. Sometimes going back isn’t failure, it’s training.

There are seasons in life when the doors close, plans shift, or we’re told to pause. We call them “setbacks.” But maybe they’re set-ups for strength. That job you didn’t get, the opportunity that didn’t pan out, the project that stalled, each one is preparing you. Giving you experience. Building your endurance.

Time and again, in my own life and in the lives of so many brave, faith-filled women I’ve walked alongside, what felt like failure was actually preparation. I’ve seen God turn setbacks into divine setups. What might this moment be preparing you for? What might He be revealing to you now?

Lesson 4: Trust the Process—There’s Always Another Path Forward

As I stood on the platform looking ahead, I realized this: life is a lot like that obstacle course. Full of unexpected turns, uncertain footing, and moments where you just want to give up.

Even when our steps falter, His presence never does. We are harnessed by God’s grace. Even in the fall, we are held. We are guided. We are never beyond reach. And when we’re repositioned, whether by choice or force, we’re not being rejected. We’re being rerouted.

Maybe your path forward isn’t what you expected. Maybe you’ve had to double back. Maybe you’re still standing on the platform, afraid to move.  Trust the process. You are not behind. You are becoming.

So wherever you are in your journey, facing fear, recovering from a fall, or deciding whether to take that next brave step, know this:  God’s not just watching. He’s holding. He’s guiding. And He’s not done writing your story.