by Darrion Ross
A Season That Changed Me
When I finished my bachelor’s degree at Life Pacific University, I was working full-time, studying full-time, and serving as a leader at church. I thought I could manage it all. I could not. There were weeks I went from class to work to ministry with barely enough energy to think. Some nights I stared at assignments until my eyes burned. Other nights, I felt focused and confident. I lived between both overwhelmed and grateful, exhausted yet determined. There were weeks I went from class to work to ministry with barely enough energy to think. Some nights I stared at assignments until my eyes burned. Other nights, I felt focused and confident. I lived between both overwhelmed and grateful, exhausted yet determined.
That was faith on fumes. I did not feel strong or certain, but I kept believing anyway. I trusted that if God brought me this far, He was not finished.
Then I hit my loan limit. I owed five thousand dollars and had no way to pay it. I remember sitting at my desk, reading the email that said if I did not pay the remaining balance, I could not continue, and I felt a knot form in my stomach. I did not have a backup plan. All I could do was pray and fast. I believed that if God brought me this far, He was not finished.
A few weeks later, help started showing up. Grants, scholarships, open doors, everything I needed came together. The balance was paid in full. That moment did not just solve a problem; it changed how I see God. His grace showed up where my strength ended.
That season taught me that belief is not about control. It is about trust when nothing is guaranteed.
When Faith Feels Slow
Delays, closed doors, and missed deadlines test what you believe about God’s timing. They reveal whether your trust is rooted in outcomes or in who He is. Faith does not deny the struggle. It learns to remain steady inside it. Some days, belief comes easily. Other days, it feels like a slow fight between what you see and what you know. You pray even when it feels pointless. You obey even when it costs you. You keep showing up because faith grows through consistency, not comfort.
Faithfulness is what happens when you keep trusting long enough for trust to become a habit. It is quiet. It is steady. It is not emotional hype or perfect behavior. It is a daily surrender, deciding repeatedly that God’s timing is still good. When nothing changes, faithfulness stays. When everything shakes, faithfulness holds. The same God who opened the sea for Moses and kept His word to Abraham is keeping His promises now.
What Keeps Me Believing
Faith believes in God’s promise. Faithfulness proves it. Faith begins in surrender but grows in repetition when you keep showing up, praying, trusting, and obeying. Every moment you stay steady when you could give up, faith turns into faithfulness. God’s consistency shapes yours. What starts as belief becomes endurance, and that endurance becomes the testimony that He was faithful all along.
Scripture affirms and supports this truth. 1 Corinthians 15:57 and Romans 8:37 prove victory belongs to those who believe, even in struggle. Mark 9:23 and John 20:29 call you to believe before the evidence appears. Hebrews 11:1 defines faith as confidence when nothing is certain. Exodus 14:14 shows God fighting while you stay still. 1 John 5:4–5 declares that faith wins battles the world cannot understand. 2 Corinthians 12:9 reveals that weakness becomes strength when you depend on His grace.
Practicing Belief
Think about one area in your life that feels uncertain. Name it. Pray for that one thing. Keep it simple and honest. Then take one small action that lines up with your prayer. If you believe in reconciliation, send a message. If you are looking for directions, write down the next step. If you believe in peace, pause and take a breath. If you miss it today, try again tomorrow. Progress matters more than perfection. Faith grows when you keep showing up.
Choosing to Believe Again
Life brings pressure. School, work, and ministry all compete for your focus. There are moments when you will feel stretched thin. But those same moments often reveal God’s presence. I have learned that delay does not mean denial. Hard seasons do not mean you are off track. The slow parts of faith are where God builds endurance and character.
Faith is not about looking like you have it all together. It is about holding on when nothing seems to move. When your faith is on fumes, sometimes it feels like, still standing, praying, still trusting, even when you are worn out. But those are the moments when God proves He is faithful. It is about holding on when nothing seems to move. What God started in you, He will finish.
The season you are in is shaping you for what is next. I have learned that the parts of life that move slowly are often the ones that change you the most. They teach trust, shape endurance, and strengthen faith in ways speed never will. So, it stays steady in this season. God is doing something in you that will matter far beyond today.