What if the seasons that feel uncertain, uncomfortable, or even unwanted are actually the places where God is doing His deepest work?

As this school year begins winding down, many Christian teachers are carrying more than they realize.

Exhaustion.
Transition.
Disappointment.
Questions about what’s next.
Questions about whether they’re still making a difference.

Teacher Appreciation Week may have passed, but for many educators, the emotional weight of this year is still very real.

And somewhere underneath all of it sits the quiet question:

God, what are You doing in this season?

This week on the Kingdom Educators Podcast, I sat down with Dr. Diamond Howell to talk about surrender, transitions, identity, and what it looks like to walk open-handed with Jesus when you don’t have all the answers.

Throughout the conversation, one message continued to rise to the surface:

God Wastes Nothing

Not the hard seasons.
Not the stretching.
Not the uncertainty.
Not the transitions you didn’t ask for.

Sometimes the places where we feel the most unsure are the very places where God is forming deeper trust within us.

As educators, we often long for clarity before obedience.

We want the full plan.
We want certainty.
We want to know how everything will unfold before we fully surrender.

But faith rarely works that way.

Often, God simply gives us enough grace for today.

As Holy Bible Romans 8:28 reminds us, God is working all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose — even the seasons that feel unclear, uncomfortable, or unfinished.

Walking Open-Handed with Jesus

One of the most powerful parts of this podcast conversation was hearing Dr. Diamond reflect on seasons where she questioned whether she was even supposed to remain in education.

In the middle of leadership changes, exhaustion, doctoral work, and uncertainty, she found herself stretched beyond what felt comfortable.

Yet years later, she can now see how God was strengthening her through those difficult seasons.

And honestly, many teachers can relate.

This school year has stretched educators emotionally, spiritually, and physically.

Some teachers are ending the year hopeful.
Others are barely hanging on.

But one of the reminders we shared in this episode is this:

You are not behind. You are not off track. God is still writing something beautiful through your story.

Sometimes faithfulness looks less like having the full plan and more like receiving God’s grace one day at a time. As Holy Bible Lamentations 3:22–23 reminds us, “His mercies are new every morning.” In uncertain seasons, God continues to meet us daily with fresh strength, wisdom, and peace.

Christian Teachers Are Still Needed in Public Schools

Another powerful thread throughout this conversation was the reminder that Christian educators are not called to shrink back in fear.

You are a teacher on mission.

You carry peace into anxious spaces.
Hope into discouragement.
Wisdom into confusion.
And the presence of Jesus into places that desperately need light.

Even in public education.

Even in difficult seasons.

Even when the culture feels heavy.

As Dr. Diamond shares so beautifully in podcast episode #131, there is still a place for believers in education — and God is still using surrendered teachers to impact lives every single day.

Jesus reminds us in John 15 that apart from Him we can do nothing. Christian educators were never meant to carry the weight of this calling in their own strength. We are invited to stay connected to the Vine — our source of wisdom, endurance, peace, and hope.

An Invitation to Pause Before Summer

If you are ending this school year feeling weary, stretched, or emotionally heavy, I want to personally invite you to the End-of-Year Reset Experience for Christian Teachers.

This is a guided experience designed to help Christian educators:

• release the weight of the school year
• reconnect with Jesus
• process the season with peace
• receive encouragement and support
• step into summer lighter and renewed

This isn’t about striving harder.

It’s about creating space to breathe, surrender, and remember that God is still faithful in every season.

Live Zoom Experience
+Guided reflection + prayer
+Community with other Christian teachers

Registration is FREE through May 15.
After May 15, registration will be $17.

Register here:
End-of-Year Reset Experience for Christian Teachers

And friend, wherever you find yourself today, may this truth encourage your heart:

Nothing is wasted.
God is still leading you.
And He is still writing something beautiful through your story.