EquipHer Vol. 33: "The Breaking Point"نموونە

Day 1 — When Pain Steals Your Vision

Have you ever reached a moment where the dreams that once fueled you now feel distant? You are still showing up, leading, and producing, but somewhere along the way, clarity blurred and passion has faded.

At EquipHer Conference 2025, Coach Sheree Cain-Jones spoke into this very tension. She reminded us that it is not that we don’t have vision, rather the pain of life has taken it, because pain has a way of doing exactly that: stealing perspective. It does not destroy our calling, but it clouds our sight. Pain has the power to narrow our focus and make us see only what hurts, not what God is trying to heal.

In the book of Habakkuk, the prophet was deeply discouraged. He was watching injustice rise, leaders fail, and prayers seem unanswered. Everything around him looked broken, and God’s promises felt delayed. However, in that moment of frustration, God told Habakkuk: “Write the vision and make it plain” (Habakkuk 2:2–3, NIV). God was reminding him to refocus and hold on to what He had already shown him, even if everything around him looked unclear and seemed out of control.

Vision is not a list of goals or a strategy board—it is a divine concept. It is how we see our life through God’s eyes.

That is why focusing on the pain can be a dangerous path for leaders – It doesn’t just hurt, it distorts. It edits the story we tell ourselves about who we are, what is possible, and how God sees us.

Throughout Scripture, we see people who lost sight but never lost purpose. Joseph could not see the dream from a prison cell. Esther could not see the outcome when fear surrounded her. David could not see victory while hiding in caves, but each of them learned to trust what they could not see.

They kept showing up and moving forward, in alignment with the vision God had placed in their hearts. As David wrote, “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” (Psalm 27:13, NLT).

Perhaps, like David, you find yourself in a season where you can no longer see what once was clear. You keep showing up each day, but deep inside, hope feels dimmed. You wonder if God is still at work and if the promises once alive in your heart are still valid.

Guess what? God is still working! In fact, He has never stopped moving on your behalf. Your current confusion is an invitation to pause and realign your sight with His.

So, pause for a moment and ask yourself where has pain blurred your sight? What area of your work, leadership, or personal life have you quietly concluded is no longer redeemable?

Today, ask God to give you one word that captures how He wants you to see again—peace, courage, clarity, joy, or hope. Write that word down and place it somewhere visible.

Pain might have blurred your focus, but it cannot cancel your calling.

Prayer

Lord, sometimes pain has made me forget what You once showed me. I have tried to move forward while feeling stuck inside, managing what I was meant to build in faith. Today, I give You my blurred vision – every plan, every project, every dream that has lost its clarity. Heal the way I see. Remind me that my purpose is not gone – it is being refined. Teach me to look at my work, my leadership, and my life through Your eyes again. Amen.