When You’re the One Who Feels Behind

Maybe you’re not failing—maybe you’re just on a different timeline.

There’s a quiet ache that creeps in sometimes, even when we’re doing all the “right” things. We pray. We serve. We show up. We keep going. And still—we feel behind.

Behind on the dreams we thought would’ve happened by now.

Behind the people who seem to be thriving.

Behind the version of ourselves we thought we’d be.

You know the feeling. You open your phone and scroll through endless stories—someone just got married, someone’s announcing their third baby, someone launched a business, another person is sharing a testimony about how God “came through” for them. You’re happy for them. You really are.

But something in you sinks a little. Not from jealousy, but from weariness. A wondering you’ve carried quietly: Why not me? What am I doing wrong? Why does it feel like I’m still stuck in the middle when everyone else is moving forward?

We don’t talk about it much, this hidden shame of feeling left behind. Because we don’t want to seem ungrateful. Or unspiritual. Or like we’re doubting. But if you’ve ever been in a season where it feels like your life is standing still while everyone else is sprinting ahead, I want you to hear this:

You are not behind.

You are not forgotten.

You are not being punished.

And you are absolutely not the only one.

You’re just on a different timeline.

We have this idea sometimes that the Christian life should look like a steady climb. One faithful act after another, leading to blessing after blessing. But that’s not the story we find in Scripture.

Joseph waited over a decade in prison for a dream God gave him as a teenager. Moses wandered the desert, doubting his own ability to speak. Abraham waited so long for a promise, he tried to make it happen on his own. David was anointed king, and then ran for his life. And Jesus Himself—He waited thirty quiet, hidden years before beginning His ministry. Thirty years. Most of us barely make it through thirty days without wondering if we missed our moment.

But these weren’t wasted seasons. They were forming seasons. Not punishment—preparation.

You see, the Pharisees got it wrong because they were obsessed with appearance. They loved being seen. They loved looking like they had it all together. But Jesus didn’t draw near to them. He saw past the polish. He saw the pride. He saw the performance.

He drew near to the ones who were still in process…

The ones who didn’t pretend. The ones who cried out. The ones who brought their real, messy, uncertain faith and said, “Here. This is all I have.” And He called it enough.

So if you feel like you’re behind, like your story should’ve unfolded by now, like you should’ve had the answer, the breakthrough, the testimony—please know this: it’s okay to be in the middle. It’s okay to still be waiting. It’s okay to not have a bow on the end of your story yet.

Real faith doesn’t always look like a finished product.

Sometimes, real faith is just staying when you want to run.

Trying again when it would be easier to quit.

Saying “I still believe,” even when it feels more like a whisper than a roar.

And if all you have today is a flicker—that counts.

That mustard seed faith? That’s enough to move mountains.

So don’t let the highlight reels trick you into thinking you’re doing something wrong. Don’t let the silence convince you that God’s not working. And don’t let someone else’s timeline make you feel like you’ve failed.

God’s not late. And neither are you.

“Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” —Matthew 17:20

Love, Sarah xx.

If this spoke to you, you’re exactly who I’m writing for. The ones still waiting, still holding on, still trying to believe God is good… even here. That’s what this space is all about. Or go deeper with me, join the Little Sparrow Loved Crew & support a Christian Creator.

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