The Vehicle Was Never the Destination: How God Uses Seasons, Detours, and Even Pain to Carry Us Toward Our Calling

Sometimes the very thing we believe is our destination is actually just the vehicle God uses to move us toward it. We spend years investing in a path, building skills, forming identities, and making sacrifices. Only to one day realize that what we thought was the end goal was never meant to be permanent. It was preparation.

I was reminded of this recently when I learned a surprising fact about Ryan Coogler. Before he became the acclaimed director behind films like Black Panther, Creed, and the more recent Sinners, he received an athletic scholarship to Sacramento State University. Achievements like that don't happen by accident. They require years of sacrifice, discipline, and commitment. Naturally, many people assume that reaching that level means the dream is professional football. Honestly, that assumption makes so much sense. 

I've had a front row seat to that world. My son earned an athletic scholarship to that same Division 1 University. Even before him, in my immediate and extended family, spanning across multiple generations, I have witnessed the entire process. Through that journey, I've had the privilege of knowing many athletes who walked similar paths, some of whom did go on to play professionally. I've heard countless conversations about the ultimate goal being professional sports, because once an athlete reaches that level, it can feel like there is only one logical destination left. For many, in their mind, there is no other viable option. No "plan B". Never, not even for a second, entertaining the fact that God has other plans for our lives. Accepting that our "plan A" was nothing more than a mode of transportation God used to get us there. Learning that "fun fact" about Coogler made me reflect on how often we mistake the vehicle for the destination. 

Sometimes the way we interpret those seasons has a lot to do with where we are in our healing journey. When our wounds are still tender, we can cling tightly to the very things God used to carry us through them. A role, a relationship, a career, or even an identity can start to feel like our entire purpose rather than simply a season of preparation. From a unhealed place, the thought of releasing that vehicle can feel like rejection, failure, or loss. But as we continue to allow God to heal us, our perspective shifts. We begin to see that what once sustained us was never meant to contain us. It was simply the vehicle He used to move us forward.

Along the journey toward our God-given purpose, there are many vehicles: opportunities, talents, seasons, circumstances, people, and sometimes even painful experiences. Each one carries us a certain distance toward the bigger picture God has already written. I will say this again, because it is vital that we understand this, the vehicles are meant to move you, not define you.

Jesus Himself demonstrates this throughout His earthly ministry. The mission never changed, but the vehicles did. A boat carried Him across the water while He preached and called fisherman to follow Him. A hillside became the setting for the Sermon on the Mount. A donkey carried Him into Jerusalem in fulfillment of the prophecy. And ultimately, the Cross became the final vehicle through which He fulfilled His purpose and secured redemption for all humanity. Different vehicles. One unchanging mission. 

I know this lesson personally. When I first realized that God was calling me into social work, it meant making one of the most difficult decisions of my life. I had been pursuing my MSN with the goal of becoming a Nurse Practitioner. At that point, healthcare was all I knew. Fifteen plus years in the field, eleven of those working with moms and newborn babies on the perinatal unit. My entire identity felt wrapped up in that path. Changing directions felt uncertain and terrifying. I was depressed. I was scared to tell any of my friends and family. In fact, there were some family members I didn't tell until I was in the final semester of my social work program.

Looking back now, I can see that part of the struggle wasn't just the change itself. It was that I was still healing from seasons where my identity had become tied to what I did, rather than who God created and called me to be.

In my mind, nursing wasn't just a career, it was the destination. The truth is, it was a vehicle. Every long shift. Every coworker. Every difficult patient. Every loss. Every moment of compassion, advocacy, and crisis. God was using it all to prepare me for the work I do today. What I thought was my entire purpose, was preparation.

In that season of my life, and what a trying season it was, God was healing me while He was preparing me.

That's how God often works. When the vehicle changes, it does not mean the purpose has. It means the journey is continuing. What carried you through one season served its purpose. The next stretch of the journey may require something new. 

When we understand this, we stop clinging to seasons that have expired. Instead, we become willing vessels, open to whatever God chooses to use in this season, and the ones ahead.  A closed door is not the end of the story.

What if Coogler had clung to football and never continued on the path to cinema?

What if Jesus had clung to the hillside and never continued on the path to the Cross?

Your purpose is still intact. So trust the driver (God) and be confident in whatever is being used to move you forward...because the purpose was always moving forward. 

I'd love to hear from you!

As you reflect on your own journey, whether your calling, your healing, or both:

What vehicle has God used in your life that later turned out to be preparation for something greater?

Feel free to share in the comments or reflect on it in your journal today.

And until we meet again remember...

You are crowned, called, and still becoming!