I did everything right... and still missed it
- Amy Loflin
- Jan 13
- 3 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
Last week we hosted our small group at our home and I decided to bake a coconut cake from scratch. I’ve been hooked on The Great British Baking Show, so how hard could it be?
After researching recipes and making a selection, I went to the store, bought the ingredients, started baking, realized I had the wrong kind of sugar, paused mid-process, went back to the store, started again, and followed the recipe as diligently as I knew how. It was a labor of love. Careful. Intentional. Filled with hope.
And yet… I overbaked it. After all that effort, the cake came out dry and underwhelming. I served it anyway to our friends, and when the evening was over, I scraped the rest of it into the trash. ;)
Sometimes that’s just how it goes. We do all the right things. We follow the steps. We try to be careful and faithful, and intentional. And yet, the outcome still isn’t what we hoped for.
Maybe you’ve felt that as a mom, pouring yourself out for your family and wondering if anything you’re doing is actually making a difference. Or as a leader, making thoughtful decisions, showing up consistently, and still feeling like the fruit doesn’t match the effort. Maybe it’s with your body, doing the things you know to do, eating well, moving more, and still feeling discouraged by slow or unseen progress.
There’s a particular kind of weariness that comes from doing your best and still coming up empty. Not dramatic failure. Just quiet disappointment.
Yet this is the space where Jesus so often chooses to meet us. Not after everything has worked out, but right in the middle of frustration, fatigue, and unmet expectations.
That’s where we find one of His disciples, Simon Peter, when Jesus steps into his story…not at a moment of success or confidence, but standing beside empty nets after a long night of fishing that produced nothing.
This week, we’re sharing a new resource (see below) that offers a front row seat to Peter’s encounter with Jesus and the life-altering invitation to follow Him. It’s a reminder that discouragement is often not the end of the story, but the place where hope, grace, and power long to meet us.
Reflections
What is one area of your life where quiet disappointment has settled in?
If Jesus were to step into that space today, what do you imagine He might want you to notice or release?
“Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything.” — Simon Peter (Luke 5:5)
Ready for more?
EJC Story Series are Scripture-based experiences for women who want to engage with God and the Bible in ways that feel fresh, relatable, and transformative. Designed to be flexible and self-paced, they invite you to slow down, step into the story, and encounter God beyond surface-level reading. It’s not another checklist, but a space to linger, reflect, and grow.
Our first Story Series brings to life the powerful story of Jesus interrupting Peter’s ordinary life and inviting him into one that is far greater than anything he could imagine. Whether this story is familiar or completely new, this series is designed to help you see it with fresh eyes. We trust that God will meet you in this experience and shape it in a way that is uniquely yours.
Whether this story is familiar or completely new, this series is designed to help you see it with fresh eyes. We trust that God will meet you in this experience and shape it in a way that is uniquely yours.
